After nearly 16 years presenting The Daily Show America’s number one satirist Jon Stewart bid farewell to the hit programme which has mercilessly mocked current affairs, politicians and the media.
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Stewart opened the show at his desk to wild cheers, stating simply “Welcome to ‘The Daily Show, ‘ my name is Jon Stewart“, adding “I’ve got big news”. And a number of former “Daily Show” correspondents, including Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell and John Oliver, walked in through a side door around 3:30 p.m.
Stewart ended the show by thanking his staff, fans and family.
Of course, Stewart has many detractors as well – people who say he took cheap shots and showed too much of a progressive point of view. “A dialogue. And I really like that metaphor for many different reasons”. I want to thank everybody who lent their talents to this program. Walking on stage, he saddled up right next to Stewart, and launched into a long, drawn out analogy in which Stewart’s show was like Frodo’s quest to destroy the Ring.
“No one knows who’s going to come, no one knows what’s going to happen, ” Lance said.
“I’ve been watching since the beginning”, Mr. King, 44 years old, said.
Stewart targets including Clinton, TV host O’Reilly, Secretary of State John Kerry, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and New York Senator Chuck Schumer weighed in with a litany of often snarky goodbyes, culminating in Senator John McCain’s snarled “So long, jackass”.
Stewart offered a soliloquy on what was his central job as host finding doubletalk in the public arena and exposing it for the world to see, although he used a stronger term for it. He urged viewers to be vigilant in watching for it themselves.
But he promised fans, “This show isn’t ending”.
“Here it is, my moment of Zen”, Stewart smiled, just before Springsteen filled the room with a poignant rendition of “Land of Hope and Dreams“.
The Daily Show may be born to run, but for Stewart it was time to finally bid farewell. “We are better people for having known you“.
“Yet it is hard to imagine Stewart, with a track record as a first-rate comic writer and performer, and as a pretty sharp talk-show host, not being very good on it when he settles down a bit.” Have I caused this?
“Guess what?” Stewart said as the final show began. Cenac’s the guy who told Marc Maron during a recent podcast interview that Stewart blew up and him and told him to f*ck off when he said he was uncomfortable with Stewart’s Herman Cain impression, telling Stewart it “sounded like Kingfish”.
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It wasn’t just friends who arrived to see Stewart go.
