Hollywood’s love affair with free speech ended some time after Donald Trump took the oath of office.
Slowly but surely the industry pulled back on the issue it once clung to like a statue on Oscar night. Industry players pled allegiance to the woke state, canceled problematic art (and each other), and demanded that a sitting president get bounced from social media.
Late night comics even chuckled as <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/dr-seuss-stephen-colbert-late-show-racist-b1811462.html">beloved authors like Dr. Seuss</a> got the cultural boot.
It wasn’t always this way.
Hollywood once championed free speech on a variety of platforms. The industry understood the vital role speech plays in both the country at large and for their craft. Let’s look back at five times Hollywood embraced free speech and hope Tinsel Town comes to its senses and renews its love affair with free expression.
<h4>“The American President”</h4>
The 1995 rom com imagined a single U.S. leader falling in love with a lobbyist (Annette Bening). That novel twist combined with the impressive pairing of director Rob Reiner (“This Is Spinal Tap”) and writer Aaron Sorkin (“A Few Good Men”) earned raves from critics.
The film’s emotional finale used free speech as <a href="https://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechtheamericanpresident.html">a cudgel against the protagonist’s political opponent.</a>
<blockquote>&#8220;For the record, yes, I am a card-carrying member of the ACLU, but the more important question is &#8220;Why aren&#8217;t you, Bob?&#8221;
…America isn&#8217;t easy. America is advanced citizenship. You&#8217;ve gotta want it bad, &#8217;cause it&#8217;s gonna put up a fight. It&#8217;s gonna say, You want free speech? Let&#8217;s see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who&#8217;s standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.&#8221; </blockquote>
Reiner and Sorkin were, and remain, two of Hollywood’s most outspoken liberals. Would they pool their talents for a message like that today? That’s rhetorical, since Reiner was one of many <a href="https://twitter.com/robreiner/status/1400875366047043585?lang=bg">cheering President Donald Trump’s social media banishment.</a>
Guess we won’t be seeing &#8220;The American President 2” anytime soon.
<h4>Neil Young&#8217;s 2006 “Freedom of Speech” Tour</h4>
It’s an understatement to say that veteran rocker Neil Young was <a href="https://genius.com/3351240">no fan</a> of President George W. Bush during the Iraq War days And he had plenty of A-list company. Young similarly rebelled against efforts to silence the president’s critics during a time of war.
Toward that end, <a href="https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2022/02/02/crosby-stills-nash-young-csny-spotify-boycott-joe-rogan">Young rejoined</a> David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash to promote free speech and <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/flashback-neil-young-participated-freedom-of-speech-tour-censorship-joe-rogan">reaffirm his right to protest as he saw fit</a>.
<blockquote>&#8220;Those who feel the way we do had some hope and those who don’t feel the way we do were angry that the change happened. And those people have got a voice, and they have a reason for feeling the way they do. They strongly believe in the convictions. They believe in the military … they believe that we’re doing the right thing for the world, and they have every reason to be respected for their beliefs.”</blockquote>
Flash forward to 2022 and Young is leading an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/just-in-spotify-to-pull-neil-young-music-after-ultimatum-letter-demanding-rogan-be-removed">unsuccessful charge to silence</a> Spotify superstar Joe Rogan for sharing pandemic information that didn’t mirror government-approved narratives.
<h4>Tim Robbins versus Dubya</h4>
Young wasn’t the only liberal rallying for free speech during that era. Actor Tim Robbins similarly <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Tim-Robbins-pours-his-anger-into-an-anti-war-play-2510013.php">protested</a> Bush’s war efforts, a move that <a href="http://www.espn.com/mlb/news/2003/0409/1536711.html">cost</a> him an appearance at a “Bull Durham” reunion.
The 1988 baseball romance cast Robbins as “Nuke” LaLoosh, a flame-throwing pitcher struggling to get his mental approach in line with his talents. His anti-war comments, along with those of his co-star Susan Sarandon (Robbins’ partner at the time), convinced the Baseball Hall of Fame to <a href="https://ew.com/article/2003/04/10/cooperstown-disinvites-antiwar-sarandon-robbins/">disinvite the duo from its 15th anniversary celebration</a> for the film.
Robbins teamed up with the ACLU, an organization which once stood proudly on behalf of free speech rights, to <a href="https://www.nyclu.org/en/letter-baseball-hall-fame-over-cancellation-bull-durham-movie-anniversary-celebration">blast the decision</a>. The move “reflects a disregard for the value of dissent in a free society. Indeed, you offer a vision of free speech that is deeply incompatible with the concept of ‘uninhibited, robust and wide open’ debate – a concept that is basic to our democracy.”
<h4>Comedy Post 9/11</h4>
Comedians played an important role in the days and weeks after the September 11 attacks. “Saturday Night Live” and “The Late Show with David Letterman” gently <a href="https://www.today.com/popculture/how-late-night-tv-reacted-9-11-impact-it-has-t229754">brought humor back </a>into our lives after the shocking terrorist attacks. They made it acceptable to laugh again after so much heartache and pain.
Other comics didn’t tread so carefully. They pushed comedy conventions much harder, understanding that free speech doesn’t evaporate in times of extreme duress. Hollywood even made a documentary on the subject – “Too Soon: Comedy After 9/11.” Comedians from that era shared how they processed their grief and rage, and why they didn’t pull punches when it came to material intersecting with the tragedy.
They were right.
The extreme irony? Some of the comedians featured in the documentary are now part of the current cancel culture brigade <a href="https://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-1278-canceled-comedy-w-kliph-nesteroff-and-david-bianculli">(Marc Maron</a>) or pretend cancel culture  doesn’t exist (<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/jon-stewart-cancel-culture-myth/">Jon Stewart</a>).
<h4>“The People vs. Larry Flynt”</h4>
The 1996 drama from legendary director Milos Forman celebrated the rise, fall, and legal victory of Hustler pornographer Larry Flynt.
The New York Times called it Forman’s “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/22/movies/a-free-speech-hero-it-s-not-that-simple.html">raucous hymn to the First Amendment</a>.”
<blockquote>The movie, shown to acclaim at the New York Film Festival this fall and opening in theaters on Friday, has been critically embraced not only as an artistic tour de force but as a kind of democratic morality play.</blockquote>
Flynt was the perfect symbol for free speech. He was rude, crude and outrageous, and few would embrace his lifestyle choices. Yet defending speech one agrees with is always easy. Rushing to Flynt’s side, given his vulgar behavior, is another matter.
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News&#8217; Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en">@HollywoodInToto</a>. 
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Toto – Five Times Hollywood Cheered Free Speech

Five Times Hollywood Defended Free Speech

Aaron Sorkin

ACLU

Hollywood

Jon Stewart

Neil Young

Readers Pass

Rob Reiner

Susan Sarandon

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jon-stewart">Jon Stewart</a> and conservative journalist Jack Posobiec had heated words over a controversially crafted bill that would provide funds for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/veterans">sick veterans</a>, but managed to hug it out moments later.
The former late-night funny man and the Navy intelligence officer-turned journalist have been sparring on Twitter for days over a bill intended to provide $400 billion for veterans who suffered a wide range of ailments from exposure to burn pits in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Republicans have objected to the bill because they say House Democrats used an accounting trick that the Congressional Budget Office said could add a minimum of $275 billion in unrelated spending over the next decade.
When Posobiec and Stewart met up in Washington Monday, it was on.
&#8220;These people have suffered for 15 years!&#8221; Stewart shouted at Posobiec, pointing a finger in his face.
Posobiec, who stayed calm, asked Stewart why he was attacking him, given that they both unquestionably support health care for veterans.
&#8220;Because you&#8217;re a f&#8212;ing troll!&#8221; yelled back Stewart, who has advocated for veterans sickened by burn pits on Capitol Hill.
The Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, passed the Senate in June, but had to go through again after House Democrats made key changes. Senate Republicans last Wednesday filibustered the <a class="Link" href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/gop-senators-block-bill-veterans-toxins" target="_blank" rel="noopener">measure</a>, effectively blocking it. Their reason is an added Democratic provision they say would move appropriated funds from discretionary to mandatory spending. Mandatory expenditures would no longer fall under annual appropriations and could conceivably be renewed automatically every year with little or no oversight, say Republicans.
Posobiec has spent much of the last week trying to make this point to Stewart on Twitter.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Jon Stewart is Unhinged. Watch him scream and swear in <a href="https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JackPosobiec</a>’s face.
 <a href="https://t.co/AWGRB0rHwK">pic.twitter.com/AWGRB0rHwK</a>
&mdash; Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1554169156194516993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Republicans, including Sen. Ted Cruz, of Texas, have also been making the case that the GOP supports the aid to veterans but not under the new terms proposed by Democrats. Sen. <a class="Link" href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/pat-toomey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pat Toomey</a> (R-PA) said Sunday that he would vote for the legislation if the gimmick can be cut. He proposed an amendment that would put guardrails on the $400 billion, satisfying GOP concerns and potentially allowing the bill to move forward.
&#8220;What I want to do is treat it for government accounting purposes the way we have always treated it for government accounting purposes, because if we change it to the way that the Democrats want, it creates room in future budgets for $400 billion of totally unrelated extraneous spending on other matters,&#8221; Toomey <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/jon-stewart-clashes-cruz-over-burn-pits-bill">said</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I actually give props to Stewart for coming around to doing the right thing here after his ridiculous outburst. Few people can climb down, and we need more of that. <a href="https://t.co/CaHAgQvdKt">https://t.co/CaHAgQvdKt</a>
&mdash; Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) <a href="https://twitter.com/Heminator/status/1554172755628756994?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Later in the day, Posobiec and Stewart buried the hatchet in a scene also caught on video.
&#8220;Jon Stewart and I have decided to come to an agreement, have we not, Jon?&#8221; Posobiec asked.
&#8220;Yes sir,&#8221; said Stewart. &#8220;I lost my temper a little bit, I felt like I was being trolled, and I realized the important thing is just got to get this done for these guys, and get them over the finish line to get them the health care they need.&#8221;
The bill would establish a presumption that military service caused 23 respiratory illnesses and cancers related to the smoke from burn pits, fire pits used in war zones to dispose of various types of waste, many of them toxic.
</div>

Jon Stewart 911 Fund

WATCH: Jon Stewart, Jack Posobiec Fight, Bury Hatchet Over Vet Burn Pit Relief

House Democrats

U.S. Senate

Veterans

After comedian Jon Stewart <a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1552688111347552256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1552688111347552256%7Ctwgr%5E9c21daeff6e7770e26ed9bcdbd7a65b8a62ddeb3%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rollingstone.com%2Fpolitics%2Fpolitics-news%2Fjon-stewart-blasts-gop-over-vote-against-vets-1389372%2F">ripped</a> Senate Republicans as “mother***ers” and singled out Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) as a “f***ing coward” for temporarily blocking a bill because Democrats wanted to sneak $400 billion in discretionary funding into the bill, Toomey responded on Sunday by pointedly targeting Stewart’s sense of self-importance.
Stewart had hysterically ranted against Toomey after he and other GOP senators temporarily blocked the passage of the PACT Act, which expands healthcare benefits for veterans and 9/11 first responders who had been exposed to such as toxins found in burn pits.
“First of all, this is the oldest trick in Washington,” Toomey told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “People take a sympathetic group of Americans — and it could be children with an illness; it could be victims of crime; it could be veterans who&#8217;ve been exposed to toxic chemicals — craft a bill to address their problems, and then sneak in something completely unrelated that they know could never pass on its own and dare Republicans to do anything about it, because they know they will unleash their allies in the media and maybe a pseudo-celebrity to make up false accusations to try to get us to just swallow what shouldn&#8217;t be there.”
Stewart had also attacked Toomey by railing, “God knows what pot of gold he’s stepping into to lobby this government to s*** on more people.” He noted that the bill had been passed on June 14, then continued ranting of Toomey, “he is a f***ing coward,” mocking him as “Patriot Pat Toomey.”
Regarding the charge that the bill had been passed in mid-June, Toomey told Tapper how the Democrats were manipulating the situation: “We were promised that we&#8217;d have an opportunity to offer an amendment to change this. And then, of course, that was reneged on, so people hadn&#8217;t had a chance to be socialized about this.”
“Let me be very clear,” Toomey continued. “Republicans are not opposed to any of the substance of the PACT Act. &#8230; My honest Democratic colleagues will fully acknowledge that my objection, and if I get my way, I get my change, it will not change by one penny any spending on any veterans program. What I&#8217;m trying to do is change a government accounting methodology that is designed to allow our Democratic colleagues to go on an unrelated $400 billion spending spree that has nothing to do with veterans and that won&#8217;t be in the veterans space.”
“We can resolve this with an amendment vote,” Toomey noted. “But some of the Democrats don&#8217;t even want to have an amendment vote. &#8230; There&#8217;s some Democrats that simply want to say, no, you don&#8217;t get to change anything. We don&#8217;t have any more debate. We don&#8217;t have amendments. We&#8217;re just going to jam this through. So that&#8217;s the source of the tension.”
“This is why they do this sort of thing, Jake, because it gets very deep in the weeds and very confusing for people very quickly,” Toomey pointed out. “It&#8217;s not really about veterans spending. It&#8217;s about what category of government bookkeeping they put the veterans spending in. &#8230; What I want to do is treat it for government accounting purposes the way we have always treated it for government accounting purposes, because, if we change it to the way that the Democrats want, it creates room in future budgets for $400 billion of totally unrelated extraneous spending on other matters.”

Collage Maker-01-Aug-2022-01.22-AM

Jon Stewart Calls GOP Sen. Pat Toomey ‘F***ing Coward.’ Toomey Mocks Him: ‘Pseudo-Celebrity’

Pat Toomey

Having turned the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-courts-abortion-decision-nearly-identical-to-leaked-draft">regulation of abortion</a> back over to the states, the pro-life majority on the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/supreme-court">U.S. Supreme Court</a> is coming for your kidneys next, according to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jon-stewart">Jon Stewart</a>.
The Comedy Central host-turned-podcaster made the legal leap last week on &#8220;The Problem With Jon Stewart&#8221; while discussing the high court’s recent ruling overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case and ending the federally guaranteed right to abortion.
“You may say I&#8217;m being crazy,” Stewart began, before reasoning that if life trumps personal autonomy, and organ donations save lives, the pro-life movement could now “go to a person and say, ‘Give me one of your kidneys because it’s going to save this person’s life.’”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Yes, you&#39;re &#39;crazy&#39;: <a href="https://twitter.com/jonstewart?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jonstewart</a> claims overturning Roe now means the government can forcefully harvest your organs <a href="https://t.co/ouM5s826F9">https://t.co/ouM5s826F9</a>
&mdash; Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1544466291469205505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Stewart went on to blast the Court as corrupt, calling it the “Fox News of justice,” and agreed when one of his writers called SCOTUS “bulls***.”
The Supreme Court on June 24 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/united-states-supreme-court-overturns-roe-v-wade-leaves-abortion-restrictions-to-states">voted 6-3 to uphold a Mississippi law</a> limiting abortions to the first 15 weeks of pregnancy. In doing so, a five-justice majority overruled Roe v. Wade and determined that the right to allow, regulate or even ban abortion resides with states, not the federal government.
Stewart accused conservative justices of “perjury” by refusing to disclose their opinions about abortion during their Senate confirmation hearings.
“It would’ve been one thing if [the justices] sat in the confirmation hearings and said, ‘My entire ideological bearing is that life begins at conception and that abortion should be made legal,’” Stewart said. “And at the very least, you would respect their honesty and integrity, but this makes the Court a cynical pursuit.”
Judicial nominees from across the ideological spectrum have long been careful to say how they would rule on particular issues, mindful of the fact that cases that come before the Court are fact-specific. Newest member of the Court, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, even <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/im-not-a-biologist-supreme-court-nominee-says-she-cant-define-the-word-woman">famously refused to answer</a> when asked what a woman is during her confirmation hearing.
Stewart also claimed the Right has no true legal scholars and that constitutional originalists like justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito hide behind the words of the Constitution.
“The reason they call themselves originalists is the same reason they quote the Bible: it’s dogma, it’s dead people, it’s people you cannot argue with,” Stewart said. “This text is — it’s fundamentalism. It’s saying this text is sacrosanct. Even that gun s***. … None of this is ordained by God of a burning bush or any of that.”

Former Daily Show Host Jon Stewart Testifies On Need To Reauthorize The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund

SCOTUS, Pro-Lifers Coming For Your Kidneys Next, Warns Jon Stewart

Roe v. Wade's Long And Brutal Legacy

Supreme Court

At a party after his appearance at the Hollywood Bowl, where he was <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/dave-chappelle-assaulted-onstage-at-hollywood-bowl/">attacked Tuesday night</a> by an assailant who carried a replica gun with a knife attached to it, comedian Dave Chappelle joked about the assailant getting what he felt he deserved.
Chappelle’s alleged assailant, Isaiah Lee, 23, jumped on stage, running toward Chappelle and barreling into him before security chased him off stage where they subdued him.
Chappelle joked at the party, “I felt good. My friends broke his arm. I felt good. How bad does a n***** have to be that Jon Stewart would stomp him?” as <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10786365/Dave-Chappelle-thanks-friends-breaking-attackers-arm.html">audio</a> obtained by The Daily Mail revealed.
“Killing that n***** would have been stupid,” he added later.
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At the time Lee attacked Chappelle, the comedian was thanking Chris Rock, Leslie Jones and Jon Stewart, who had appeared on stage with him. Chappelle’s joke about Stewart may have been apocryphal; it is unknown whether Stewart had a hand in subduing the attacker.
On Wednesday, Chappelle released a <a href="applewebdata://3E55A9BB-1548-4A97-A477-3E2F1F77C2FE/v">statement</a> about the attack, saying:
<blockquote>Dave Chappelle celebrated four nights of comedy and music, setting record-breaking sales for a comedian at the Hollywood Bowl. This run ties Chappelle with Monty Python for the most headlined shows by any comedian at the Hollywood Bowl, reaching 70k fans of diverse backgrounds during the first <a href="https://deadline.com/tag/netflix-is-a-joke/">Netflix Is A Joke</a>: The Festival, and he refuses to allow last night’s incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment.</blockquote>
The statement continued:
<blockquote>As unfortunate and unsettling as the incident was, Chappelle went on with the show. Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock helped calm the crowd with humor before Chappelle introduced the last and featured musical guests for the evening, hip-hop artists yasiin bey and Talib Kweli, a.k.a. Black Star, who performed music from their new album – the first in nearly 24 years – which was released on Luminary. Other special comedic guests last night included Earthquake, Leslie Jones, Jeff Ross, Sebastian, Jon Stewart and Michelle Wolf.</blockquote>
After the curtain call of his show at the Bowl, Chappelle said to Jamie Foxx, who joined him on stage, “Shout out to Jamie Foxx by the way,” <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10781055/Dave-Chappelle-attacked-stage-LA.html">The Daily Mail</a> reported. “Whenever you&#8217;re in trouble, Jamie Foxx will show up in a sheriff&#8217;s hat.”
“I thought that was part of the show, I didn&#8217;t know what the f***,” Foxx replied.
“I grabbed the back of that n**** head. His hair was spongy. Absorbent,” Chappelle joked.
Foxx then saluted Chappelle: “Listen, I just want to say, this man is an absolute genius. We&#8217;ve got to make sure we protect him at all times. &#8230; For every comedian who comes out here, this means everything. You&#8217;re a genius. You&#8217;re a legend, I enjoyed myself thoroughly, and we&#8217;re not going to let nothing happen to you.”
“I&#8217;ve been doing this for 35 years,” Chappelle noted, then joked, “I just stomped a n**** backstage. I&#8217;ve always wanted to do that.”

Dave Chappelle

‘How Bad Does A N***** Have To Be That Jon Stewart Would Stomp Him?’: Dave Chappelle Jokes About Man Who Attacked Him At Hollywood Bowl

Dave Chappelle jokes about Jon Stewart subduing Chappelle's assailant at the Hollywood Bowl

Assault

Hollywood Bowl

Jamie Foxx

Comedian and TV host Jon Stewart won the 2022 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Sunday.
Stewart, the 59-year-old stand-up comic who rose to national prominence as the host of &#8220;The Daily Show&#8221; from 1999 to 2015, was the 23rd person to receive the <a href="https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/marktwain/">award</a>, which &#8220;recognizes individuals who have had an impact on American society in ways similar to the distinguished 19th-century novelist and essayist Samuel Clemens, best known as Mark Twain.&#8221; The award was presented to Stewart at a gala event in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, which will be broadcast on PBS stations in June.
Tributes to Stewart were given by several comedians and former prize winners, including former &#8220;Daily Show&#8221; correspondents Samantha Bee, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert and John Oliver, stand-up comedian and 2019 Mark Twain Prize winner Dave Chappelle, and rock star Bruce Springsteen, who also performed an acoustic version of his hit &#8220;Born to Run&#8221; at the ceremony. A number of other high-profile guests were also present, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/bill-cosby-entertainment-arts-and-talk-shows-dave-chappelle-eb2362ca7076700492493462e78ab7ca">Associated Press</a> reported.
During his acceptance speech, Stewart joked that Hollywood and Washington, D.C., have a number of similarities. “Washington is for people who like the ego and arrogance of L.A. but who think that that city is too well-designed,” Stewart said, via the <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/jon-stewart-mark-twain-prize-2022-1235134621/">Hollywood Reporter</a>. He changed his tone later in the speech, saying that the future of comedy is uncertain. “There’s a lot of talk right now about what’s going to happen in comedy.&#8221; Stewart said. But the greatest threat to comedy was not &#8220;the fragility of audiences, it’s the leaders,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;It’s not the Fresh Prince, it’s the crown prince.&#8221;
&#8220;Comedy is the bellwether, we’re the banana peel in the coal mine,&#8221; Stewart continued. “When a society feels under threat, comedians are who gets sent away first.” He then said that &#8220;Authoritarianism is the threat to art, theater, poetry. … What we have is fragile and precious, and the way to guard against it isn’t to change how audiences think, but to change how leaders lead.”
While Stewart celebrates his accolade after years of success, his latest project is reportedly not finding any. According to a report from Bloomberg, via The Daily Wire, Stewart&#8217;s new show, &#8220;The Problem with Jon Stewart,&#8221; has experienced a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jon-stewarts-new-apple-tv-show-rumored-to-be-a-huge-flop-report">serious decline</a> in viewership since its premiere in September and is trailing behind its competitors on broadcast and cable TV. The series premiere garnered 180,000 views in the first week, according to measurement firm Samba TV. That viewership number plummeted all the way down to 40,000 by the show&#8217;s fifth episode, which aired in March. By comparison, one episode of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” which also aired in March pulled in 844,000 viewers. Bloomberg gave several reasons for the show&#8217;s poor ratings: the changing nature of entertainment consumption in the age of streaming; the difficulty in making timely and topical jokes on a show that is recorded well in advance; and the sporadic schedule, in which the show premiered new episodes every two weeks at first, but then went on a four-month hiatus.
Apple also defended Stewart and his audience. “We are thrilled that ‘The Problem with Jon Stewart’ has resonated with viewers all over the world,” head of unscripted shows and documentaries at Apple+ Molly Thompson said. “The series has sparked complex conversations about critical issues, and we’re proud to team with Jon for season two and beyond.”

23rd Annual Mark Twain Prize For American Humor

Jon Stewart Wins 2022 Mark Twain Prize For Humor, Even As His New Show Flops

Apple

The Daily Show

It wasn’t too long ago that Jon Stewart was one of the most popular late night hosts on the air. Now, the 59-year-old comedian is allegedly struggling to attract viewers.
“The Problem with Jon Stewart,” debuted on AppleTV+ in September. A new <a href="https://www.bloombergquint.com/onweb/jon-stewart-s-the-problem-on-apple-tv-joins-streaming-talk-show-slump">Bloomberg</a> report shows viewership trailing behind competitors on both broadcast and cable TV. It appears that Stewart seems to be losing viewers with each episode, too.
The publication shared that “The Problem’s” first episode had a mere 180,000 viewers in the first week, according to measurement firm Samba TV. Viewership then plummeted to 40,000 by the show’s fifth episode, which aired in early March. As a comparison, a March episode of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” attracted viewers in 844,000 U.S. homes, per Samba TV.
Meanwhile Apple TV+ has a different take. Entertainment Weekly reported that the show is the No. 1 unscripted series on Apple TV+, citing sources. “We are thrilled that ‘The Problem with Jon Stewart’ has resonated with viewers all over the world,” head of unscripted shows and documentaries at Apple+ Molly Thompson said. “The series has sparked complex conversations about critical issues, and we’re proud to team with Jon for season two and beyond.”
One defense of poor numbers was the changing nature of content consumption in the age of streaming. “You don’t even know how to get Apple TV, do you?” Stewart quipped in one episode. Plus, a late-night show format filled with timely jokes doesn’t work when episodes have to be filmed well in advance.
“A late-night-style show on a streaming service can’t be very topical because content based on the events of the day would seem stale,” Joe Toplyn, a former writer for “Late Show with David Letterman” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” told Bloomberg. 
Another issue is the sporadic viewing schedule. At first, “The Problem” episodes came every two weeks. Then Stewart took a four month hiatus. Any potential loyal fans were likely concerned and frustrated trying to figure out when to expect new episodes. Stewart even made fun of himself for being flaky, saying it’s “like I’m an Etsy store of shows, knitting each one myself.”
Topics range from gun control to race relations, the stock market, and climate change. Even similarly aligned outlets have given Stewart’s show mixed reviews. An NPR critic said it, “feels like a stitched-together pastiche of items from Stewart’s old show and a few other programs he inspired,” while a Variety writer said the show, “has not been what one might expect from the grand return of a superstar.” 
Some episodes are entertaining, though. While discussing racism in America, Stewart promoted the claim that white supremacy is rampant in America and claimed “racist systems” here prove “America has always prioritized white comfort over black survival,” The Daily Wire originally <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jon-stewarts-guest-destroys-his-anti-white-extremism-rant-against-racist-systems-in-america">reported</a>. 
Two guests agreed with the comedian’s rant that pinned all America’s problems on white supremacy, but a third panelist, political commentator Andrew Sullivan, had a different take. 
“Well I don’t believe that,” Sullivan said. “I think it’s possibly the most absurd hyperbole I’ve ever heard … I can tell you America in 2022 is the most multiracial, multi-cultural, tolerant, diverse melting pot that has ever existed on the planet earth.”
“And there is no other place on Earth even like it,” he continued. “That’s why 86% of our immigrants are nonwhite. Do you think that they want to come into a white supremacist country?”
He spoke of America’s “great history” and “incredible diversity” as reasons for the country being so appealing.  
“I think you are not living on the planet most Americans are, which is why this kind of extremism, this anti-White extremism is losing popular support,” Sullivan said. &#8220;It’s creating a backlash.”
Stewart implied Sullivan was “racist” for making these types of statements.

2019 Warrior Games – Day 2

Jon Stewart’s New Apple TV+ Show Rumored To Be A Huge Flop: Report

Comedy

Entertainment

Politics

Television

Jon Stewart&#8217;s guest political commentator Andrew Sullivan destroyed the host&#8217;s woke &#8220;anti-white extremism&#8221; rant against &#8220;racist systems&#8221; in America.
During the latest episode on Apple TV+&#8217;s &#8220;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cmnwbGmu7w">The Problem With Jon Stewart</a>,&#8221; Stewart went out of his way to claim that white supremacy is rampant in America and suggested that there are &#8220;racist systems&#8221; in place here that prove &#8220;America has always prioritized white comfort over black survival.&#8221;
&#8220;Black people have had to fight so hard for equality that they&#8217;ve been irreparably set back in the pursuit of equity,&#8221; Stewart added, as he posed in front of a backdrop that changed the show&#8217;s name to &#8220;The Problem with White People.&#8221;
&#8220;And any real attempt to repair a ton of that damage, reparation sets off white people&#8217;s &#8216;they&#8217;re coming for our sh*t&#8217; alarm which we would know ourselves had we actually been listening,&#8221; Stewart continued.
Two other people on the panel — Lisa Bond and Chip Gallagher — agreed wholeheartedly with his assessment. But when they threw it to Sullivan, a third panelist who was on the show via video, the political commentator listed all the reasons he as an immigrant to this country didn&#8217;t agree with the claims that America is a &#8220;white supremacy.&#8221;
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Taking Responsibility For Systemic Racism | The Problem With Jon Stewart | Apple TV+" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1cmnwbGmu7w?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&#8220;Well I don&#8217;t believe that,&#8221; Sullivan said. &#8220;I think it&#8217;s possibly the most absurd hyperbole I&#8217;ve ever heard&#8230;I can tell you America in 2022 is the most multiracial, multi-cultural, tolerant, diverse melting pot that has ever existed on the planet earth.&#8221;
&#8220;And there is no other place on Earth even like it,&#8221; he added. &#8220;That&#8217;s why 86% of our immigrants are nonwhite. Do you think that they want to come into a white supremacist country?&#8221;
Sullivan explained further that, for &#8220;most people,&#8221; the term white supremacy means the &#8220;KKK, it means no rights for minorities. And this has been used simply to avoid an argument.&#8221;
Later, Sullivan reminded <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jon-stewart-goes-to-bat-for-rogan-again-on-the-iraq-war-i-was-promoting-what-they-would-call-misinformation">Stewart</a> that America also has a &#8220;great history. The political commentator said that, by calling &#8220;today white supremacy,&#8221; Stewart was &#8220;minimizing actual white supremacy.&#8221;
&#8220;You have an incredible diversity,&#8221; Sullivan explained. &#8220;To condemn all American history as racist. But in fact, has been liberating.&#8221;
Stewart continued to insist &#8220;the systems&#8221; that were &#8220;put in place&#8221; were &#8220;racist.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Jon Stewart has gone full Woke and is catering to the “anti-racist” activists that are perpetuating the same racist ideology that they claim to fight against.
He applauds a &quot;White Fragility&quot; rant and suggests Andrew Sullivan is a racist for not agreeing with the Woke narrative. <a href="https://t.co/hFl1Y87Q1D">pic.twitter.com/hFl1Y87Q1D</a>
&mdash; Mythinformed MKE (@MythinformedMKE) <a href="https://twitter.com/MythinformedMKE/status/1508794875608719366?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
Sullivan then asked the host to explain exactly what these &#8220;systems&#8221; are. The former host of &#8220;The Daily Show&#8221; said he explained it earlier when talking about housing and the G.I. bill.
Andrew said that&#8217;s one thing, and asked for more, and the host appeared to struggle with providing him more. Stewart then said Sullivan wasn&#8217;t &#8220;living on the same planet they are.&#8221;
&#8220;I think you are not living on the planet most Americans are, which is why this kind of extremism, this anti-White extremism is losing popular support,&#8221; Sullivan replied.&#8221; It&#8217;s creating a backlash.&#8221;
Bond, who earlier in the show labeled herself a racist,  then talked over Sullivan, shutting him down, and accused him of perpetuating &#8220;racist, dog-whistle tropes.&#8221; To which Stewart made it clear he agreed with the panelist that Andrew was a &#8220;racist.&#8221;
&#8220;You&#8217;ve been doing a pretty good job with it yourself there,&#8221; the host shared, as the audience laughed.
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Jon Stewart’s Guest Destroys His ‘Anti-White Extremism’ Rant Against ‘Racist Systems’ In America

Andrew Sullivan

White Supremacy

Comedian Jon Stewart said that watching comedian-turned-Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/shop/products/i-need-ammunition-t-shirt">face down the Russian invasion</a> of his country was a bit like &#8220;watching Shecky Greene&#8221; — a Las Vegas nightclub comedian in the 1950s and 1960s — &#8220;transform into Winston Churchill.&#8221;
Stewart, speaking with writers Robby Slowik and Rob Christensen during Friday&#8217;s episode of his podcast, &#8220;The Problem with Jon Stewart,&#8221; made the comparison after joking that comedians were often noted for their bravado — but not necessarily their actual bravery.
&#8220;Boy, oh, we are comedians and we know the general brand of cowardice that runs through our business and the, you know, that fake braggadocio that comes from standing on stage and heck — you know, having a heckler and destroying him with a microphone,&#8221; Stewart began.
&#8220;What this dude is doing &#8230; it is incredibly moving,&#8221; Stewart continued. &#8220;I mean it&#8217;s — we&#8217;re watching Shecky Greene into Churchill. Like his grace and &#8230; What a terrible time to kind of notice the real spine of this country. I wish it was not in such terrible circumstances.&#8221;
Stewart went on to note that the people of Ukraine had close cultural ties with the people of Russia even if they didn&#8217;t share a language and leadership.
&#8220;It it, you know, New Jersey attacking Staten Island,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I mean it&#8217;s just the weirdest, you know, there&#8217;s so much shared history. And I — we&#8217;ve never seen something like this in our modern era of — listen. No one&#8217;s going to excuse the larger countries and some of the imperialist adventures we go on, and some of the false justifications we make for it, but generally there will be a period of attempt to paper over bald nationalism or crass economic interests with some high-minded rhetoric about something.&#8221;
Stewart then addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin, who he said was <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/heres-why-putin-invaded-ukraine-and-how-he-just-shattered-the-world-order/">approaching the invasion</a> in a very different manner.
&#8220;Putin was just like, &#8216;Yes, we&#8217;re going to go in and kill everybody.&#8217; You&#8217;re just like, wait, what?&#8221; he continued. &#8220;It&#8217;s such a bizarre throwback.&#8221;
But it was really <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/u-s-ready-to-evacuate-ukraine-president-zelensky-so-hes-not-captured-or-killed-he-refuses-to-go/">Zelensky&#8217;s response</a> to Putin that Stewart thought was the most interesting part of the ongoing situation.
&#8220;I sort of keep thinking of the comic&#8217;s table at the Cellar and the idea that someone from that little round table has been forced into this incredible feat of courage and statesmanship, and I sort of imagine, you know, when you&#8217;re sitting around the comic&#8217;s table and everybody&#8217;s telling their horror stories, like, &#8216;I once opened at a Fuddruckers and there wasn&#8217;t even a — people just kept coming in and using the f***in&#8217; fixings bar.&#8217; And like, Zelensky&#8217;s at the table, you know, and you&#8217;re all telling your horror stories of gigs and things and he&#8217;s just like, &#8216;Uh, I was attacked by the third largest army in the entire world.'&#8221;
Watch Stewart&#8217;s full comments here:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Ukraine’s Courage, Putin’s Logic, and the Fox News Axis of Evil | The Problem With Jon Stewart" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ackArK09Tl4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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The New York Comedy Festival and The Bob Woodruff Foundation Present the 10th Annual Stand Up for Heroes Event

Jon Stewart Praises Ukrainian President: ‘We’re Watching Shecky Greene Transform Into Winston Churchill’

Russia

Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelensky

Comedian Jon Stewart defended podcaster Joe Rogan for a second time during his own podcast, &#8220;The Problem With Jon Stewart,&#8221; on Thursday.
During a conversation with Harvard professor Dr. Joan Donovan and writers Jay Jurden and Kris Acimovic, Stewart argued that his own position on the Iraq War — at least at the time — might have been deemed &#8220;misinformation&#8221; by many in the mainstream media, and that Viacom or Comedy Central could have chosen to censor him.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;These are shifting sands.&quot; Jon Stewart makes such an excellent point here on Joe Rogan flap, one of the most important. &quot;Who gets to decide&quot; what&#39;s considered &quot;misinformation.&quot; (Full clip: <a href="https://t.co/jsgy2T7PFv">https://t.co/jsgy2T7PFv</a>) via <a href="https://twitter.com/Mediaite?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mediaite</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/leia_idliby?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@leia_idliby</a> <a href="https://t.co/pHiuAGxDrA">pic.twitter.com/pHiuAGxDrA</a>
&mdash; Caleb Howe (@CalebHowe) <a href="https://twitter.com/CalebHowe/status/1491875308546441223?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I think you always grant more understanding and nuance to people you know because you know them as more three-dimensionally than what that appearance is,&#8221; Stewart began, noting that he did know Rogan personally and that in itself created a bias. &#8220;And we always demonize those who feel — alien to us, so that goes right in there, I&#8217;m already guilty of a bias.&#8221;
Stewart then pointed back to a comment made earlier by Donovan, who said that some people &#8220;want the benefit without the accountability&#8221; with regard to having a platform like Spotify.
Stewart then tied that thought in to the media coverage of the Iraq War — which he had vocally opposed even in 2003 — adding, &#8220;The New York Times, right, was a giant purveyor of misinformation, and disinformation. And that’s as vaunted a media organization as you can find, but there was no accountability for them.&#8221;
&#8220;I think where I get nervous is in the run-up to the Iraq War and in the prosecution of the Iraq War, I was very vocal, sometimes cursed about that,&#8221; Stewart continued, noting that the mainstream media had been carrying stories about <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/german-intelligence-iran-changing-conventional-hank-berrien/">weapons of mass destruction</a> (WMDs) and Saddam Hussein.
&#8220;Couldn’t I have gone down and fallen down this — if Viacom or Comedy Central had wanted to censor me — or had wanted to take me off the — look, I’m not owed a platform. Nobody is,&#8221; Stewart said. &#8220;But my point is, these are shifting sands, and I think I get concerned with, well, who gets to decide?”
“I mean, in the Iraq War, I was on the side of what you would think, on the mainstream, is misinformation,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I was promoting what they would call misinformation but it turned out to be right years later. And the establishment media was wrong, and not only were they wrong in some respects, you could make the case that they enabled a war that killed hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people and never paid a price for it and never had accountability.&#8221;
Stewart <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jon-stewart-defends-joe-rogan-dont-leave-dont-abandon-dont-censor-engage">defended Rogan</a> on a previous podcast as well, saying, &#8220;I would say this: Don’t leave, don’t abandon, <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/this-platform-needs-to-police-the-view-suggests-limits-on-free-speech-as-long-as-it-limits-joe-rogan/">don’t censor</a>, engage. I’m not saying it’s it’s always going to work out fruitfully, but I am always of the mindset that engagement, and especially with someone like a Joe Rogan who is not, in my mind, an ideologue in any way.&#8221;
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Jon Stewart Goes To Bat For Rogan Again: On The Iraq War ‘I Was Promoting What They Would Call Misinformation’

Joe Rogan

Mainstream Media

Comedian Jon Stewart voiced his support for podcaster Joe Rogan during the latest episode of his own podcast, &#8220;The Problem With Jon Stewart.&#8221;
Stewart explained that, in his mind, Rogan was not an ideologue — and that meant that instead of clinging to a position regardless of any new information, he was willing to change his position when presented with new facts that changed the landscape.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Would you take your music off of Spotify? <a href="https://t.co/ltrA81DUee">pic.twitter.com/ltrA81DUee</a>
&mdash; The Problem With Jon Stewart (@TheProblem) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheProblem/status/1489222143929950208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;This is going to be a blanket statement,&#8221; Stewart began. &#8220;And I would say this: Don’t leave, don’t abandon, <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/this-platform-needs-to-police-the-view-suggests-limits-on-free-speech-as-long-as-it-limits-joe-rogan/">don’t censor</a>, engage. I’m not saying it’s it’s always going to work out fruitfully, but I am always of the mindset that engagement, and especially with someone like a Joe Rogan who is not, in my mind, an ideologue in any way.&#8221;
Stewart went on to argue that the proof that Rogan was not an ideologue was evident in recent episode of &#8220;The Joe Rogan Experience&#8221; — when his guest, Josh Szeps, had challenged something that Rogan said about the potential risk of dangerous side effects in kids who get the COVID-19 vaccine.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
If anyone was going to make me look dumb on the podcast I’m glad it’s <a href="https://twitter.com/joshzepps?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@joshzepps</a>, because I love him, and he’s awesome. However this is why I was confused: <a href="https://t.co/Yd31Hwbvqb">https://t.co/Yd31Hwbvqb</a> <a href="https://t.co/By1TLeUo94">pic.twitter.com/By1TLeUo94</a>
&mdash; Joe Rogan (@joerogan) <a href="https://twitter.com/joerogan/status/1481832468651122689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;They were talking about — I think Joe said, &#8216;Myocarditis, kids shouldn&#8217;t get the vaccine because it causes a higher risk of myocarditis.&#8217; And Josh said, &#8216;Well, actually, getting COVID is a higher risk of myocarditis for kids, so they should get vaccinated.'&#8221;
The two went back and forth briefly and then they looked up the information, at which point Rogan conceded that he had <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/what-joe-rogan-got-very-right-in-his-response-to-spotify-drama-and-the-one-thing-he-got-wrong/">been wrong</a>.
&#8220;If you are an ideologue, or if you are a dishonest person, that is the moment,&#8221; Stewart continued, saying that there was a choice to be made regarding whether to accept the new information or double down. &#8220;Joe just went, like, &#8216;Ah, I didn&#8217;t know, I didn&#8217;t get that.’”
&#8220;And that, to me, says that&#8217;s a person that you can engage with. And so, I think all the overblown rhetoric about him — and here&#8217;s the other thing,&#8221; Stewart added. &#8220;You&#8217;re a musician, like how much misinformation is spread by — like, Eric Clapton is on the platforms that you&#8217;re on, and he&#8217;s a f***ing psycho. Do you remove yourself from every platform?&#8221;
&#8220;By the way, do we only do these conversations so that I will get in trouble?&#8221; Stewart asked his cohosts, who said they did.
&#8220;My point is, we all exist in this world and on this planet, and there&#8217;s no question that there is egregious misinformation that&#8217;s purposeful and hateful and all those other things,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And that being moderated is a credit to the platforms that run them. But this overreaction to Rogan, I think is a mistake. I really do.&#8221;
Stewart went on to say that he believed there were some real bad actors — people who were intentionally spreading misinformation — and that he was far more interested in working to expose them for what they were than he was in censoring someone like Rogan who was willing to engage with just about anyone.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Jon Stewart Defends Joe Rogan: ‘Don’t Leave, Don’t Abandon, Don’t Censor, Engage’

Comedian and TV host Jon Stewart said during a podcast with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban that playing the National Anthem before games is a &#8220;weird ritual,&#8221; appearing to criticize the American tradition of standing as the song is played before sporting events.
Stewart shared the comments during his podcast &#8220;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/4MWa1Om3mkKHZ2yMV9JHRA?si=RFyrGB8RSNy381kXBZOW_g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Problem with Jon Stewart</a>&#8221; released on Thursday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Diversity in the boardroom isn’t virtue-signaling — it’s good business. Check out Jon’s full podcast interview with <a href="https://twitter.com/mcuban?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mcuban</a>: <a href="https://t.co/BgjENo4rqn">https://t.co/BgjENo4rqn</a> <a href="https://t.co/TuLRd0vPoT">pic.twitter.com/TuLRd0vPoT</a>
&mdash; The Problem With Jon Stewart (@TheProblem) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheProblem/status/1481657296501579777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“Does anyone know when that started, playing the national anthem before games? It’s such a weird ritual,” Stewart said.
“I’ve always thought about when Kaepernick took the knee and the whole thing was like, ‘You gotta stand for the anthem!’ Now I imagine like in living rooms, guys are getting nachos ready, and f***ing the wings, and the anthem comes on and they all just have to [stand].&#8221;
Stewart also questioned the difference between people at a live sporting event being expected to stand, though viewers at home are not generally expected to do so.
“But like why is that? When the anthem comes on, you only have to stand if you’re there. But the transitive principle through the television, if it’s through the television you can do whatever the f*** you want. You can take a s*** during the National Anthem as a patriot. But if you’re at the stadium there’s like a whole regimen you have to go through.”
It&#8217;s not the first time Stewart has caused controversy over his recent remarks. The comedian, who is Jewish, recently claimed the goblin characters who run Gringott&#8217;s Bank in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books are meant to be stand-ins for Jews. The Daily Wire recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jon-stewart-accuses-j-k-rowling-of-hidden-anti-semitism-while-ignoring-trevor-noahs-overtly-offensive-comments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>:
<blockquote>“Here’s how you know Jews are still where they are,” he said on his <a href="https://youtu.be/DzffpeYnv-w">Apple TV+ show</a> last month. “Talking to people, I say: ‘You ever see a Harry Potter movie?’ And people are like, ‘I love the Harry Potter movies!’ And I’m like, ‘You ever see the scenes in Gringotts Bank?’ And they’re like, ‘I love the scenes in Gringott’s Bank!’ And I go, ‘Do you know what those folks who run the bank are?’ And they’re like, ‘What?’ And I’m like, ‘Jews!’”
<div class="dw-mm-player-container">Stewart went on:</div>
</blockquote>
<div id="AV608bfd1f328b2f32b531a418">
<blockquote>And I’ll say, ‘Let me show you this from the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. I just want to show you a caricature.’ And they go, ‘Oh, look at that, that’s from Harry Potter!’ And you’re like, ‘No, that’s a caricature of a Jew from an anti-Semitic piece of literature.’ J.K. Rowling was like, ‘Can we get these guys to run our bank?’ … It’s a wizarding world … we can ride dragons, you can have a pet owl … but who should run the bank? Jews, … but what if the teeth were sharper?”
It was one of those things where I saw it on the screen and I was expecting the crowd to be like, ‘Holy sh**, she did not, in a wizarding world, just throw Jews in there to run the f***ing underground bank. And everybody was just like, ‘Wizards.’ It was so weird.</blockquote>
</div>

‘Weird Ritual’: Jon Stewart Complains About National Anthem At Sporting Events

National Anthem

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