Jon Stewart helped create the modern late-night landscape. We're still waiting for an apology.
"The Daily Show" host blended real news and comedy, using faux outrage to perfect a new brand of political satire. And, for awhile, his left-leaning shtick earned him some begrudging respect on the Right.
He occasionally mocked media malfeasance and the occasional Democrat behaving badly.
That Stewart is long gone, of course. Stewart, like his comedy peers, is now relentless in attacking all things GOP and letting progressives off the hook. And, when Stewart dares to sneak up on the truth, his hard-Left fans let him have it.
Remember the outrage when he suggested the COVID-19 virus came from ... a lab where they were experimenting with viruses? Even Stewart was shocked by the blowback for that kernel of truth telling.
Now, Stewart is torching Spencer Pratt, the reality show star turned upstart candidate. Pratt's home burned in the Palisades fire last year, coaxing him to enter the political arena. LA Mayor Karen Bass's incompetence made him do it, he says.
Pratt has been crushing social media with slick viral video ads, and he just wiped the floor with both Bass and fellow Mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman in their first debate.
Stewart decided now is the time to lash out against Pratt, except he did so without his Comedy Central perch.
For now.
Stewart used his time as part of the Netflix is a Joke tour to suggest Pratt isn't ready for the gig. That could be true, but it's how he framed the argument that beggars belief.
“It’s a crazy world that we’re living in … We’re in an astonishing moment. You know, I was just saying, I mean, L.A., oh, you poor b–tards get one fire, one mudslide and you’re like, OK, just let the guy from ‘The Hills’ take over. Like, is that really what we’re doing?”
You have a better idea, Jon?
That glib crack is pure "clown nose on" satirical comedy. That "one fire" devastated a large swath of California, killing 31 people and leaving thousands homeless. The rebuilding process has been just as slow as California native Adam Carolla predicted. A post-mortem on the fire showed Bass's team handled the emergency so badly she allegedly doctored the final results.
It's one of the biggest catastrophies to ever hit the state, but to a professional wiseguy like Stewart, it's "one fire."
Amazing.
Late-night propagandists have mostly steered clear of the contentious LA mayor's race. "Saturday Night Live" has one more original episode, slated for May 16, before going on summer hiatus. Will it follow Stewart's lead?
Perhaps.
We know Stephen Colbert has a limited window to lash out at Pratt. His "Late Show" exits, stage far Left on May 21. It'll be up to Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and, yes, Stewart to drag Bass over the re-election finish line.
The old Jon Stewart might have thought twice about defending Bass, but the 2026 model will do as his party commands.
