Jon Stewart on the Perilous State of Late Night and Why America Fell for Donald Trump

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Nov 3, 2025

Jon Stewart, the acclaimed comedian and former host of The Daily Show, shares insightful thoughts on the precarious state of late-night comedy and its relationship with media and politics. He critiques the loss of institutional credibility that led to Trump's rise and discusses the dangers comedians face today. Stewart highlights the challenges of addressing cultural issues in political messaging and reflects on the importance of integrity in a democracy. His keen observations on social media dynamics and the role of humor in activism make for a compelling conversation.

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INSIGHT

Satire As Early Warning

Jon Stewart warns attacks on satire signal broader threats to free expression and democracy.
He says suppression creates opportunity but the real victims are those forcibly silenced, not comedians.

INSIGHT

Parallel Institutions Enable Takeovers

Stewart traces conservative media powerbuilding back decades to a parallel ecosystem creation.
He argues building alternative institutions lets movements later 'flip a switch' politically.

INSIGHT

Credibility Was Eroded, Not Just Stolen

Stewart says institutions lost credibility before attackers exploited them.
He argues reforming media, academia, and government is necessary to resist authoritarian influence.

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Jon Stewart has been a leading figure in political comedy since before the turn of the millennium. But compared to his early years on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show”—when Stewart was merciless in his attacks on George W. Bush’s Administration—these are much more challenging times for late-night comedians. Jimmy Kimmel nearly lost his job over a remark about MAGA supporters of Charlie Kirk, after the head of the F.C.C. threatened ABC. CBS recently announced the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s program. And Stewart now finds himself very near the hot seat: Comedy Central is controlled by David Ellison, the Trump-friendly C.E.O. of the recently merged Paramount Skydance. Stewart’s contract comes up in December. “You’re going to sign another one?” David Remnick asked him, in a live interview at The New Yorker Festival. “We’re working on staying,” Stewart said. “You don’t compromise on what you do. You do it till they tell you to leave. That’s all you can do.” Stewart, moreover, doesn’t blame solely Donald Trump for recent attacks on the independence of the media, universities, and other institutions. “This is the hardest truth for us to get at, is that [these] institutions . . . have problems. They do. And, if we don’t address those problems in a forthright way, then those institutions become vulnerable to this kind of assault. Credibility is not something that was just taken. It was also lost.” In fact, Stewart also directs his ire at “the Democratic Party, [which] thinks it’s O.K. for their Senate to be an assisted-living facility.” “In the general-populace mind, government no longer serves the interests of the people it purports to represent. That’s a broad-based, deep feeling. And that helps when someone comes along and goes, ‘The system is rigged,’ and people go, ‘Yeah, it is rigged.’ Now, he’s a good diagnostician. I don’t particularly care for his remedy.”

This episode was recorded live at The New Yorker Festival, on October 26, 2025.

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