Paramount+After ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! from the air, Jon Stewart made a rare mid-week appearance on The Daily Show. If you want to watch it, here’s what you need to know about Stewart’s return.
Stewart is one of several public figures backing Kimmel after the news, which has sparked widespread outrage and cancelations of Disney-owned streaming services Hulu and Disney Plus. Many critics see the move as part of a broader fight over censorship and media independence.
ABC announced Kimmel’s chat show was suspended “indefinitely” just hours after FCC chairman Brendan Carr criticized his September 15 monologue on Donald Trump’s response to Charlie Kirk’s death, implying the network could lose its broadcasting license.
The news comes two months after CBS confirmed The Late Show With Stephen Colbert would end after its current run. Stewart, meanwhile, used his Daily Show platform to satirically address free speech.
How to watch The Daily Show
Paramount+The Daily Show airs live on weeknights, Monday through Thursday, at 11pm ET/10pm CT on Comedy Central. Episodes are then made available to stream the next day on Paramount Plus.
Jon Stewart normally just hosts Monday night episodes of the chat show, which offers a satirical take on current events and affairs in the US. However, he decided to break free of the usual schedule after Kimmel’s cancelation, hosting Season 30 Episode 102 on Thursday (September 18) night.
The episode is now available to watch on Paramount Plus, and you can even see it for free as the streaming service offers a seven-day trial for either its Essential or Premium plan.
Related
As per the description of the episode, “Host Jon Stewart sits down with Maria Ressa, 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, CEO of Rappler, Columbia University professor, and author of How to Stand Up to a Dictator.”
What did Jon Stewart say after Jimmy Kimmel cancelation?
You can also watch Stewart’s segment on the Kimmel saga for free on YouTube now, in a video that’s titled ‘Jon Stewart’s Post-Kimmel Primer on Free Speech in the Glorious Trump Era’:
Immediately, the clip launches into a tongue-in-cheek take on the issue of media freedom, with the narrator announcing the “all new, government-approved Daily Show” with “your patriotically obedient host”.
Stewart pretends he’s nervous about being next on the chopping block, feigning an argument with the producers and joking that the “National Guard” should descend upon New York.
He goes on to allude to parallels between the US and North Korea, referring to Trump as “our great father” and “dear leader”, before poking fun at the president’s trip to the UK.
The monologue later addresses the Kimmel firing via a news segment in which a journalist asks Trump if free speech is more under attack in Britain or America, to which the POTUS says Kimmel’s show had bad ratings.
Stewart reacts to this by saying, “In America, we have a little something called the First Amendment, and let me tell you how it works.
“There’s something called a talent-ometer. It’s a completely scientific instrument that is kept on the president’s desk, and it tells the president when a performer’s TQ – Talent Quotient, measured mostly by niceness to the president – goes below a certain level.
Creative Commons“At which point, the FCC must be notified to threaten the acquisition prospects for billion-dollar mergers of network affiliates. These affiliates are then asked to give ultimatums to even larger mega corporations that control the flow of state-approved content.
“Or the FCC can just choose to threaten those licenses directly. It’s basic science. Read the Constitution.”
The host is alluding to Nexstar Media Group, which announced its ABC affiliates would pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! from the air “for the foreseeable future” on Wednesday, September 17, shortly after Carr’s condemnation.
ABC followed suit soon after, and amid the outcry, critics have highlighted the fact that Nexstar is currently seeking FCC approval for a $6.2 billion acquisition of the media company Tegna.
Although the ending of Colbert’s chat show was said to be a financial decision and one tied to ratings, many have highlighted Colbert’s criticism of Trump and the fact that Paramount (CBS’ parent company) and Skydance’s merger also had to be approved by the FCC.
When asked about the issue on Thursday, September 18, Trump defended Carr’s pressure on ABC and suggested TV networks presenting overwhelmingly negative coverage of him should have their licenses revoked.
“They give me only bad press. I mean, they’re getting a license,” he said. “I would think maybe their license should be taken away. It will be up to Brendan Carr.”
Could The Daily Show be next?
Creative CommonsJon Stewart’s criticism on the Trump administration’s handling of the media and chat shows has left some questioning whether The Daily Show could be next on the chopping block, especially as its network, Comedy Central, is owned by Paramount.
However, nothing has been announced just yet. Stewart himself addressed the issue after the Colbert news, and he doesn’t sound too concerned.
In July, he was asked about the potential for The Daily Show to get cut amid the Paramount/Skydance merger on The Weekly Show podcast, to which he replied, “We haven’t heard anything from them.
“They haven’t called me and said like, ‘Don’t get too comfortable in that office, Stewart!’ But let me tell you something: I’ve been kicked out of sh*ttier establishments than that. We’ll land on our feet.”
After the latest episode of The Daily Show, Redditors discussed whether the series could get pulled from the air. “FCC has no jurisdiction over cable television. Under normal circumstances anyway,” said one.
But another chimed in, “Comedy Central, whom The Daily Show is on, is owned by Paramount/Skydance, who just cancelled Colbert’s show. They want to continue to curry favor with Trump.”
A third added, “I doubt Jon Stewart cares if he gets fired. It’s probably worth more to him to say what’s on his mind about this.”
Others praised Stewart and The Daily Show team for the fast turnaround episode and the response to the Kimmel news, with one writing, “It’s very heartening that this video has almost two million views in only five hours. Go Jon!”
Another said, “This entire show was an act of genius. They should get the Emmy next year. If there is a show next year… If there is a network next year… If there is an Emmy next year…”
“The fact that The Daily Show was able to throw this together in one day is incredible,” added a third. “The gold graphics, Jon on an off day… clearly scrapping the originally-scheduled show and putting something together last minute. Let’s go.”