I probably could have done without the comical film salute to his staff that Stewart narrated. Above all, Stephen Colbert received the loudest applause, as they chanted, “Ste-phen!”
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Stewart first hosted the show in 1999 and it was his mocking of the following year’s election, which made him a star and catapulted the show, broadcast on Comedy Central, into the national consciousness. The segment also featured a brief cameo by Craig Kilborn, the show’s original host.
He is being replaced by the South African comedian Trevor Noah. Colbert honoured Stewart’s role in the media and political discourse by comparing him to Frodo from Lord of the Rings.
He says he feels his main job as host was to find hypocrisy in public life and expose it and Stewart urged viewers to be watchful for such hypocrisy, although he used a more profane term for it. We owe you not just what you did to our careers by employing us on this tremendous show that you made. “You are infuriatingly good at your job!”
Stewart also took a bit of time to monologue about one of his favorite subjects: bullshit. We learned from you by example how to make a show with attention, how to work with clarity, how to treat people with respect.
“Have fun feeding your rabbits, quitter”, said Bill O’Reilly, a frequent target of Stewart’s jabs. “A dialogue. And I really like that metaphor for many different reasons. So last night’s absurd Republican debate only adds to the sting of Jon’s departure from the Daily Show”, the email reads. Now that Stewart’s final show is history, the CNN anchor has decided to take a couple of jabs in return.
Stewart later apologized. In the podcast, Cenac said Stewart and he exchanged emails recently and that Stewart “kind of apologized as much as he could, for if I felt hurt”.
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But those who stayed up to watch Stewart’s last Daily Show episode, or who recorded the Comedy Central show to watch later, were left sorely disappointed.
