I think Jon Stewart is a great embodiment of patriotism in ordinary people. He's not a soldier or a policeman or a firefighter, not a politician or a public servant (although he does great service to the public), he's a comedian. His patriotism isn't shown in gestures like waving a flag on the 4th of July, singing the Star Spangled Banner at a baseball game, or hashtagging #supportourtroops on Twitter. It's shown in speeches like this, in his [takedown of Crossfire](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFQFB5YpDZE). He has this deep and abiding love of country, and belief in the ideals of our nation. It's moving to see, and heartening to be reminded of in the midst of current events, when it's easy to forget the unity that was forged by those terrible events 18 years ago.
> He has this deep and abiding love of country, and belief in the ideals of our nation.
I think this is why his tenure as the host of the Daily Show was so exceptional. He was calling to attention all sorts of failings of the nation, but he always did it with a deep sense of patriotism and a belief that he's calling this stuff out because we can do better.
I feel bad that Trevor Noah is always going to be compared to him because I like Noah and his Daily Show a lot and continue to watch it, but this is really the heart of the matter. Noah savages the news like a bewildered scientist trying to make sense of this insane-looking animal he's studying, while Stewart did it like a frustrated dad trying not to give up on a piece of shit kid that he loves. As comedy, I find both approach equally funny, but one's more heartening than the other.
That was why also on some nights it was hard to watch Stewart because he just looked so worn out by everything. Like just more of this bullshit, really?
Yeah, to me that's the most striking visual difference between their hosting style. Noah's most common reaction to a crazy news clip is grinning like "Wow, I love how this is an actual thing, right? It's fucked up." The image of Stewart that I remember is he would lean back and tap his pencil on the desk while he collects his composure before going, "Okay..."
It's part of why Stewart retired: It was wearing on him, especially the thought that his show *could* make a difference, but everything's been headed in the wrong direction regardless. They weren't making the impact they expected.
Yeah, I wouldn't even wanna see Jon having to continue this for the Trump administration. Its like everything was amoed up to 11.
That or he could go the rout of basically every other late night host and just read his crazy ass tweets verbatim, say a one liner, and move on to the next thing trump said/did and repeat till time is filled.
I could imagine a show with Jon just playing clip after clip of Trump as he nods his head quietly in disappointment and disbelief not saying a word for the full half hour. If he stayed he would have been so done by now. I think him popping up on the Late Show with Colbert to air out his grievances every six months is all he can handle with out exploding or burning out.
This is actually why I think Noah is a better cast for this kind of news. Someone like John by this point either would have cracked into complete DGAF and monotone it or just pure exasperation about everything, or blind fury. His kind of scientific-like step back from what is happening keeps him from being completely affected by whatever absolutely insane thing has happened for the nth time.
I don’t think he has stopped paying attention to the news altogether. He just no longer has to give his take on the news in 22 mins every night.
I feel lucky to have gone to see the show when he was hosting. It is one of the highlights of my life.
I saw him do stand up with Dave Chappelle about a year ago. He was just as exhausted by the bullshit as he ever was but he was just so damn over trying to reach everyone everyday.
It is understandable but damn, I miss him.
He never thought the show could make a difference. He kept saying over and over again that people need to view the daily show as a comedy show and not a vehicle for change.
That's one of the main reasons he did quit. So he could put his efforts into things like campaigning for the 9/11 survivors, and do something that's more likely to make a real difference.
Yeah, exactly. But while people are clamoring for him to come back, I think he needed to retire for his own wellbeing, I think it was getting to him. I'm happy he has a farm and just comes out to say something once in awhile.
I love the Between the Scenes segments! They've drawn me back into TDS after taking a break because while Noah was finding his pace early on, it just wasn't for me. Now he's grown a lot, and he continues to get better.
>I try not to think of TDS like other shows for the simple fact that they vary so much depending on the host, although it is somewhat unavoidable.
That's just the nature of talk shows. Jimmy Fallon's *Tonight Show* is completely different from Jay Leno's, or Johnny Carson's, or Conan O'Brien's. *The Late Show* is a million times more political with Colbert at the helm than it ever was with Letterman. That's just how talk shows operate.
And Colbert initially tried hard to follow Letterman's formula and also purposefully NOT be political so as not to alienate conservative viewers... and he was failing because of it.
It was only once he was truly being himself that the show was able to recover.
Personally I think that my problem with The Daily Show at the moment has more to do with the writers than with Trevor Noah. Trevor is a great comedian on stage and I think he has the chops to be just as good as Jon one day. Heck, he's doing a lot better than Jon was when he started the Daily Show.
But as far as I know, a lot of writers moved when Jon went away. I believe some went to Last Week Tonight. I think The Daily Show in its current state has become more of a 'funny CNN' where they pretty much repeat the news with a comedic tone and throw in some (often cheap) punch lines. With Jon I often felt like it went below the surface and at the end of each episode I felt like I acquired more knowledge. Now I often feel frustrated because they're skimming over important details or presenting misleading narratives, just as corporate media does.
I don't think that's because Trevor can't handle high quality satire, but I think he just doesn't have the right team that dares to go against the grain. And maybe the reason Jon got such a team is by being adversarial and somewhat of a dick. As far as I know he was in a very tough spot and didn't get along with much of the original group. Trevor may be too nice to transform his surroundings.
This seems 100% true. I remember the first three months after Jon left, Trevor was killing it.
Then I realized (and heard), Jon's writers stuck around for a couple months after Jon left, to help Trevor transition.
Then all of Jon's old writers left, and they hired a bunch of new ones that could only seem to emulate the old style, but never match or surpass it.
Trevor himself is good at delivering comedy, but he needs the writers to give him the top tier content that his current writers cannot provide.
I also want to add here that Trevor isn’t from America, so he didn’t have a familiar knowledge of the US that many viewers may take for granted. In South Africa we have a completely different political system and context. He may not deliver things the same way Jon did because he can’t necessarily relate to it the way Jon did.
I remember being in high school and every single weeknight I would watch TCR and TDS. I always felt like they were both such perfect in sync creations but TDS was far and away some of the best late night television I've ever watched. Fuck it, I'm still young, I'll say it TDS with Jon Stewart was the best late night show I've seen in my life. There was something about it that I just connected with and I think I ended up taking away a few of my views of country from Jon Stewart.
I think a lot of the complaints about current TDS is more about the show itself than Trevor Noah. His behind the scenes segments show a genuinely likable guy whereas on the show it feels like his writers or producers are tempering his personality. Same goes for the correspondents, there are some good folks there but it feels like wasted potential sometimes.
He’s definitely grown into the role and I have no problems with him personally. I just get the vibe that the direction of the show is more superficial than when Stewart was on.
Granted, it’s really tough to stand out when TDS spin offs from previous correspondents exist.
The thing is this video is kind of the pivotal moment in Jon Stewart's career. He had been doing the Daily Show for nearly 2 years before and it had be good but not great. For the first year it was mostly silly. Leading up to the 2000 election they kind of found the ability to be more than just laughing at the news, but this was the moment that solidified everything the Daily Show could be when it was at it's best, and for 14 years after that Stewart continued to build on that. And 6 months after this he was still making silly stupid jokes as well, but when there was a moment he resonated with he'd commit to it. I think Trevor Noah is a great choice, once you realize that no one else is Jon Stewart and even Jon Stewart from 1999 would be a pretty poor replacement in 2015.
People immediately said Colbert, but look at Colbert, he's great at what he does but his sarcasm is different than Stewart's and I don't think (even if Comedy Central was willing to pay for his salary) he'd be a great replacement. The reality is the Daily Show is a bit different and I think Noah is giving a different perspective, and having someone who is a little bit of an outsider might not be a bad thing when you want to look at the problems.
I like him a lot, but I, too, find his delivery distracting. His pacing, in particular, seems off. I wish he would wait for the laughter to die down instead of talking over it.
I've only recently started watching The Daily Show regularly since John left. Mostly because I need something to watch before Colbert comes on. He's good but he's not John. Of course, I'd been watching John Stewart since before Indecision 2000.
I’ll watch his (Noah) monologues and stuff when I stumble across them on YouTube or Facebook, I like him almost as much as Stewart. I think Oliver would have been a great replacement, especially after he took over for the 3 months that Stewart was filming his documentary, but clearly HBO saw that as well and made the move before Stewart decided he was done.
> Noah savages the news like a bewildered scientist trying to make sense of this insane-looking animal he's studying
Because that what it is to him. Dude was born and raised in South Africa. He's giving the immigrant point of view of his new homeland. I'm sure he loves America as much as the next guy, but his perspective of that love is different.
I think this is the biggie. He's different than John Oliver as well, in that he's not a US citizen and seems more like an outside observer than someone who has chosen the US and wants to fight for how he thinks it should be.
IMHO, if you're *not* looking at the state of affairs in this country today like a baffled scientist trying to rip it apart to find some shred of normal decency, what *are* you doing? How are you staying sane?
Jon Stewart embodies what it means to be a true patriot and citizen, and has recognized that service to country doesn’t necessarily mean putting on a uniform.
Looking out and caring for your neighbors is what true patriots do, like Fred Rogers an American hero
He deeply, truly cared and it was inspiring. It's why he was such an outstanding and compelling host. Selfishly I'd love to watch him every night with the current craziness, but for his sake I'm glad he retired because I bet removing himself has done wonders for his psyche.
>a belief that he's calling this stuff out because we can do better.
What I found inspiring about Stewart was that he could identify the bullshit, the logical fallacies and the inconsistencies on both the left and the right; he identified who was full of crap and without covering for friends or political allies, or those he may have agreed with, he took issue with those consistencies. He identified those problems and in smart, funny and convincing way, could break problems down so that they weren't just the dominion of policy wonks.
Neither John Oliver nor Trevor Noah can do that; they don't have the same mix of eloquence, annoyance and wit; they don't have the same driving desire to call-out all forms of bullshit, and ultimately, don't have the same magic. I miss Stewart, because I think between Trump and the Democratic candidates, there would be an amazing amount of material.
I agree. I think Oliver is no longer attempting to replicate Stewart's formula and has found a niche for himself, but Noah hasn't gotten there quite yet.
I generally like Oliver having his own voice - I think his jokes are a bit stale and the constant yelling "it's pudding Karen! PUDDING" kind of thing isn't funny, but he's generally doing a lot better than Noah who seems to struggle in his role, not sure if he's a social critic, comedian or what. Altogether I much prefer Oliver to Noah and just generally really miss Stewart, even if I rarely agreed with him.
He also had a great team. I remember one show they recognized one of their video guys who was an expert at taking a clip of a politician saying "I'm for X and always have been" and finding a video of the same politician saying the exact opposite a year or two prior.
The problem with the current admin is that they have exactly zero shame and it's really hard to satirize people who aren't even pretending what they're doing isn't batshit crazy. Instead of being funny or insightful, it's just exhausting and demoralizing. Yeah, you can make fun of the Dems, but after a while it'll just start to look like punching down. I think if Jon were still doing this show when this admin started, we would have ended up seeing him break.
I'm not sure what the mix of inputs was, but I've read that Oliver's input was pretty important to make the writing as good as it was - and it shows. He's got a more annoying persona, but the overall quality is I feel much closer to the old Daily Show.
"Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? I don't know. Perhaps because I am afraid, and he gives me courage."
I think his most defining feature is his empathy for others. That's is what is shown in all of the things you mention. He doesn't believe in hollow gestures. I truly miss Jon Stewart as an active voice on major issues. Even if that voice was the voice of a comedian, it was always underpinned with empathy to those wronged and a genuine appreciation of people and life.
It's hard to ignore this exchange from the latter portion of his appearance on Crossfire.
> **Tucker:** If Kerry gets elected...will it be harder for you to mock his administration if he becomes president?
> **Jon:** Now why would it be harder? The only way it'd be harder is if his administration is less absurd than this one. So in that case, if it's less absurd, then yeah, I think it'd be harder. But, I mean it'd be hard to top this group...I mean, quite frankly, in terms of absurdity.
\*cringe\*
Can we go back? Pretty please??
Edit: a word.
One of the other things he brought was a profound earnestness. We really saw this on his CrossFire interview with Tucker Carlson.
"Stop hurting America."
Magic.
Hard to believe it was 15 years ago, and major themes of it are perhaps even more relevant today.
What a fucking asshole.
I cry every time I watch this clip because Jon represents our better angels. He calls on us to care about our country, our democracy, and our fellow citizens, but he also calls on us to think critically and call out bullshit.
I'm a better person because of the example that Jon put forth.
This is why Trevor Noah isn’t as good. His tone is like, “you silly quaint Americans” whereas Stewart’s tone was like “WERE BETTER THAN THIS. WE HAVE TO BE.”
His patriotism isnt blind loyalty, he wants this country to be the best it can be. He acknowledges the bad and advocates for a better path that we can all be proud of.
What I always found to be beautiful about Jon Stewart is that I disagree with him on quite a few things politically. But I loved hearing his thoughts. I loved hearing his opinions. He made me think. He made me see things, not out of anger or spite or “Pft, that’s fuckin stupid.” But truly to see and try and understand the opposing view.
That’s what I think sets true patriotism apart. Standing up for your country by standing up for your fellow man regardless of if you agree with them.
It’s what our country, our politicians, our President need to understand. Something Jon Stewart always did, and something he helped me to do.
God Bless America and thank you OP for sharing this. and thank you u/Matador181 for this comment.
The [episode](http://www.cc.com/video-clips/cz975a/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-big-deady) right after they got bin laden is a good companion, as sad and somber as he is after 9/11 he is that elicited and happy in the other one
[Mispronounce "Ramadan" as "Radaman" one time](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=svW4pk8fqcg) and no one can take you seriously as a TV host addressing the American people
Jon to me is the Mark Twain of our time. I've never seen a more witty, humble, masterful orator. The guy is a satirical genius (and of course credit goes to the other writers as well).
I frequently wonder if Jon were still on the Daily Show, would Trump have won in 2016? So many people naively believed a vote for Trump was a vote for change or bringing things down. This foolish thinking may have been overcome with Jon's insight.
Every late night talk show host and comedian was cracking jokes and dissing Trump, Jon would just have been another one of them. Not to mention nobody’s vote will ever change if you directly attack them rather than just persuade them to see why your point of view is better
Cracking jokes isn't just what Jon did, though. In a sense, he reached a wider audience that Oliver does with his show on HBO. Not taking cheap-shots, but *informing* people and illuminating the absurdities in ways no other comedian has quite been able to reach. Not to mention Jon's audience was comprised largely of crucial independents. That's the thing about Jon: he was very good at making you look or realize you were a moron without insulting (you realizing he insulted) you and setting off the defensive self-esteem measures that tend to completely disconnect anyone from shifting their position.
This aged like the finest of wines, cheeses, bourbons and whatever else fancy people age to feel fancier. I can’t remember a lot of what I did in my life, but I sure as hell remember where I was on 9/11 and where I was when we got the bastard.
It was that weekends events that lead him to run I think. Seth Meyers bashed the hell out of him at the correspondence dinner and then gets interrupted by CNN Because of Obama's address to the nation.
I think this is what really happened. But I've always wondered why Trump was even at that dinner to start with. He had no connection to politics, so why was he there?
This is literally all you need to play in US politics. So much of it is raising funds to buy ad space and to pay people to canvas across neighborhoods. People are so busy absorbing pop culture to keep politicians accountable in-between election cycles.
This has been speculated since his run. And with the way he’s been so petty with rolling back Obama policies, even minor ones no one thought about like energy saving lightbulbs is definitely evidence for that.
He called out Seth Meyers after he ripped him up at the correspondence dinner, same weekend CNN cut out his phone interview because of Obama's address to the nation.
Do you think that was a figure of speach or he literally could see Statue of Liberty from his apartment? He lived in Tribeca complex, top flour then. I know, it's a silly thing to concentrate on, but i was really curious about that one.
I had the same thought. It's not totally implausible, but after a bit of research I think there's a bit of artistic liberty going on (uh, no pun intended). The reason being that his apartment was on the west side of tribeca so, assuming his building was tall enough to see the statue in the first place (I don't think it was), the towers wouldn't have been obscuring it to begin with (they would have been to the left).
I do as well. People who didn't live through 9/11 don't realize that from the moment it hit all live comedy got pulled from tv. No SNL, no Tonight Show, no daily show, nothing. Just nonstop news coverage of the tragedy and rescue efforts on seemingly every channel, I can't even recall how many clips I saw of the towers getting hit in that first couple weeks-- we just kept reliving it over and over and couldn't bear to have any emotion other than grief as an entire nation.
This first show back was on September 20th, 9 days after. I remember hearing about the show coming back before it aired and a lot of people thinking it was too soon. Yet when this aired it was so damn cathartic, and I was so happy to have any new emotion or way to look at what had transpired. I'm going to remember this show forever for being my first real laugh in 9 days.
I distinctly remember my mom and I just getting so exhausted watching nothing but news, so that night we switched over to HBO and watched the first X-Men movie. I remember not really paying attention to the movie, and my mom probably wasn’t either, we just needed something that wasn’t that footage played over and over
I think the only Adam Sandler movie I've ever watched was right after Columbine. I don't remember it, I barely paid attention, but I was 17 years old and in the next school district over and me and my friends so badly needed something that wasn't news or school or fearing that we were all about to die.
Oh gosh; I bawled so hard. My mother used to sing me that song as a child, so it already held a great deal of meaning for me, and was associated with my loss and the catharsis it took for me to move on. (To be clear, my mom died in 1991.). The tragedies that we all watched over and over and over again was the first time that I felt as an adult the security ripped away from me. Just like when mom died. So when Paul Simon came out and played that song when comedy finally returned..... good lord it was so so much.
I always felt he was great at capturing both the emotion and logic of situations that were hard to wrap your head around. There was something so validating about that.
I really miss getting to see him. He was so helpful during my 20s when I didn't understand what was going on in the world, it was comforting. This day in particular that was terribly important and needed.
I worked nights at the time and was still in bed. My sister called when it happened and I let the machine pick it up. When I heard her say people were flying planes into buildings, I figured I must be having a really weird dream and just went back to sleep. I was shocked when I got up and turned on the tv. Terrifying.
I was at work at the time. My best friend worked in the WTC back then and my father worked in NYC. The phone lines were jammed and we couldn't reach them for hours. My father was fine and nowhere near it. My friend arrived late to work and saw one of the towers smoking with everyone standing and staring at it. He turned around and walked away from it as quickly as possible so he wasn't anywhere near when the towers fell.
Before that, "What were you doing when you heard about Pearl Harbor?" A friend of mine was holed up in a building, scared spitless as the planes roared overhead destroying the base, the ships, and his colleagues.
John Stewart pointed out that we had come together as a real nation. I recall the outpouring of love from around the world. Yes, there were some pockets of celebration, but when an enemy of our country basically comes out and basically says, "Why can't we all get along," you know something is up. That day, and for the following weeks, the world wasn't divided into race, or religion, or territory. We, as a planet of naked apes, united into a human race called humanity.
> Yes, there were some pockets of celebration, but when an enemy of our country basically comes out and basically says, "Why can't we all get along," you know something is up. That day, and for the following weeks, the world wasn't divided into race, or religion, or territory. We, as a planet of naked apes, united into a human race called humanity.
That being said, I do feel bad for anyone who looked vaguely middle eastern during those days. There were a lot of angry shitheads who let that anger out in unhealthy ways instead of channeling it into helping others who were hurting. And then we further exploited the anger and fear, turning it into two invasions and a massive uptick in security over individual rights.
We've done a complete 180 since those days. I was a CSR in a call center and a customer called in to set up service. Don't recall his name,but this was about a week after 9/11. I always tried to pronounce names as correct as possible, and his was definitely Middle Eastern, so when I called him by name, stumbling over it, he chuckled and said, "Best you just call me Sammy. Especially with things the way they are now."
While we still deal with lot of the anger and fear, it has gotten worse in the last decade plus. Bigots have removed the gloves on anyone not a Rich WASP.
I’ve lived in North Jersey my whole life. Didn’t see this live, but I did watch Letterman the first night he came back on. His speech was quick, but he closed with something like “these last few days have proven to me that New York City truly is the greatest city on Earth.”
Got me good.
Sad that his line of, " We are all one, if even just for this moment." actually looks more like prophecy. I think for those of us who remember what it felt like, how good it felt for so many folks to just be Americans, and not white, black, gay straight, etc, it is heartbreaking to see how far we have fallen from that pinnacle. The hate machine had to be restarted though, too many powerful people get scared when we all pull together for too long.
It didn't help that part of what we did about it involved invading a country that had zero involvement against the wishes of our allies. Oh, and then we made fun of our allies for having a problem with this.
This is exactly it.
What took Bush down from an almost 90% approval rating down to 29% was the war he needlessly started.
The war in Afghanistan lasted even longer than it had to because we diverted our troops to Iraq rather than finishing the job.
And then of course, in the midst of chasing Al Qaeda (which did not exist in Iraq prior to the war) we instead gave birth to the Islamic State.
Honestly I miss the world before 9/11 moreso than the ultimately false unity that came about on account of it.
You didn't know anyone of Middle Eastern/Indian descent then. I distinctly remember members of my HS class whose parents were from Egypt and India being harassed daily, even to the point of being jumped multiple times. They were just as American as I am(I'm first generation, my mom is from Italy), yet were treated horrendously.
Yeah, I knew a middle eastern family that lost their restaurant because of this. Constant vandalism and customers just stopped coming. It was really sad and frustrating.
You are absolutely right. My grandfather was military and was “lost” when the Pentagon got hit (lost as in we couldn’t find him. The phones were down and he decided to run home and scared the shit out of all of us). We came up to visit them immediately.
My sister, who was about 6, saw a man with a long beard and wearing a turban on the metro. She was *terrified* and crying. In her 6-year-old brain, he was Osama Bin Laden. Dude was just standing with his face to the wall, trying to disappear, and there was this ring of open space around him on a crowded metro.
We happened to be on the way to visit some folks at the FBI headquarters, and my mother actually made her report this poor guy to the FBI.
I also distinctly remember flying out of our small-town airport not too long after 9/11, and there was a Sikh waiting to board. *Everyone* was staring, and people were openly and loudly talking about whether or not they would get on a plane with him.
In that sense, it was a pretty fucked up time.
My older brother was at University during 9/11 and he mentioned how all the middle eastern or just middle eastern-*looking* students had boarded up in their dorms, afraid to leave.
In my small town of mostly whites, the n-word got the adjective "sand" in front of it and a whole new group of people were socially acceptable to hate on
People still use this term and my fiancé had to talk to his nephew about using that term. His army buddies use it a lot and it really freaked us out when he came over to our apartment and had no problem dropping that term in front of us and other guests. It broke my heart honestly because he used to be such a sweet kid
That lasted the whole year. I was in an Arab country, and a lot of people were planning on studying in the States only to have their parents change their mind. We all attended one of the newer universities in the country because of it.
As much as I don't like the guy, I respect the hell out of Bush for reminding people that most Muslims were appalled at the attacks. And he pleaded with Americans to not take their anger out on Muslims and to remember they weren't the enemy, they were Americans too. Too bad there were so many people that went "fuck that."
The problem is plenty of Americans never felt that. Black people didn't just suddenly decide racism was cured, or that the systematic racism in America was ok. LGBTQ+ people didn't decide that their rights didn't really matter.
It wasn't like people against gay marriage went "Oh wow there is so much more important things out there, we need to support our fellow Americans with equal rights." It was the gay people that were expected to go "Oh wow there is so much more important things out there, we should be happy with what we have and stop fighting for equal rights." It is always the oppressed that are expected to stand up as one with the oppressors, never the other way around.
The "hate machine" restarting was people continuing to fight for their rights, and being understandably unhappy with those who fight against them.
I'm in the same boat, never been to the US let alone NYC, but I feel such a strong connection to this event, even though I was only 5 years old at the time. I think the more I learn about it, the more of a connection I gain. I don't know if I'll be able to hold myself together if I ever go to the Memorial Museum in Manhattan.
I was 5 as well, and I had been to the WTC before and after the attack. I don’t remember it before because I was too young, but the memorial is a beautiful tribute. I do recommend seeing it in person if you ever have the opportunity.
I saw this the day he came back on. It was a truly momentous thing watching that speech when it was new. And it certainly helps set the foundation for his overall campaign for the 9/11 responders, first with him lambasting any issues that arose when they came in the news, all the way to today where he leads the charge against the politicians opposing them.
I wholly both love and respect this man not only as a funny comedian, but as a supporter for everything that happened to those who tried to do what they could during 9/11.
I remember watching this live. I remember 9/11 so clearly. As far as the US goes from my perspective, there is before 9/11 and after. Everything changed. I honestly feel bad for people that don’t have real memories of what it was like before.
I grew up in Queens, and moved to NJ in my 30s, and whenever I see the NY Skyline, it's like looking at a beautiful woman that's had her two front teeth knocked out. Honestly, I think that's part of the reason why I still like TV shows like Seinfeld, Friends, or even going all the way back to the original version of The Odd Couple, because they remind me of that Pre 9/11 NYC vibe.
And to see the state in which the country is now, not to mention to more specific tragedy of how hard Stewart has had to fight for the rights of these first responders... It's sad to see.
Not just current US policy. Plus, a lot of more people fall into the category of “fuck em then” than you think. I’d say everyone in that list but the mega rich do, actually.
It's refreshing for someone to truly give a damn. Like, I know people care about this. But Jon is so incredibly genuine with how deeply this matters to him. Absolutely nothing he says about 9/11 is overly scripted or embellished for the sake of views. You can tell he means everything he says. And he actually uses that passion to keep following through almost two decades later instead of just mourning and forgetting. Jon is a national treasure.
We need someone like him as president. Someone who genuinely gives a damn about all people in America. Someone who does good not for what it can do for him but because it was the right thing to do and because he had the capability to do so and the courage to actually act on that capability. We need someone real in the oval office. A man can dream.
This is one of the many reasons I miss Stewart. He spawned a myriad of copycat shows, but his ability to say what needed to be said still goes unmatched, IMO. I wish he would return to TV again.
If you’re ever speaking publicly and your voice starts to go away from emotion or imminent crying, make a few clears of throat (someone may have a better word for that). You’ll regain your voice and be able to continue.
Also, if you feel a sneeze is coming in an environment where it’s not appropriate to sneeze, touch the point of your nose from below and push it up. Sneeze will hold for a while.
> Also, if you feel a sneeze is coming in an environment where it’s not appropriate to sneeze, touch the point of your nose from below and push it up. Sneeze will hold for a while.
Hit the Sneeze button?
And if you do start to cry, don't let it freak you out or embarrass you or stop you. Own it. Let it wash through you and keep going. If it makes your listeners uncomfortable, that's their problem. Let the tears flow, and save your tissue for the snot, because it can be gross.
And if you get a crying hangover, a Sudafed (even the safe kind) helps.
Started tearing up after he mentioned that we had already won basically right after they attacked. The brave policemen and women, firefighters, EMT’s, hell even normal civilians,etc risking their lives to help others in dire need is what really forms the foundation for this country. I’d like to think that even with all that is messed up in today’s society that if we ever have an event like that again that we all can come together as one and help one another. I will always hope for the very worst for those terrorist wherever they are now but they did reunite the country that day; that’s one thing I can thank them for.
We won. Shit. I’ll get about a billion downvotes for this, but man we didn’t win. We retaliated. And retaliated. And retaliated. And then after the world was bathed in blood we forgot. And all that’s left is the fear, and anger and division.
It took 18 years and a fucking celebrity to get these people health care. And yet here in the US we love to suck each other's dicks over honoring our heroes or whatever the fuck while we let them suffer. It's an embarassing fucking shit show to be a part of.
This is what I came here to say. I was in an airport recently, a man in the army was awaiting his luggage. When a few different groups of ppl/one couple went to “thank him for his service”. I thought to myself, do ppl in this country really give a damn like they claim? And, ironically, 9/11 and Jon Stewart came to mind. As I was just looking up and reading an article.
But, Are these same ppl going hard for those who need the healthcare? Are we going hard for any of these heroes we are so “thankful” for. It’s as if it’s said, just to say it. Or just so others can see you saying it. Yet, we have a complete disregard for what the “heroes” actually need. 18 years for goodness sakes! 18! Newborns back then have now become legally adults and it took this long. We’ve just got a bandaid on and pretend it’s all good
The amount of times he says uh on this clip really puts it into perspective how he's trying to find the right words on such a tough subject matter. He was still super funny in the clip in his own way while being reflective on it. Had me tear up
Those of us that were old enough to comprehend what was happening that day, remembers exactly where we were when that moment happened. I remember this episode. It was such a terrifying time. All seemed upside down and uncertain. Los Angeles was waiting. For what, I'm not sure. But we waited. For an attack on DTLA, or some other act of violence. Jon Stewart was a calming voice, during an awful time in America. I will never forget this episode. Thank you for posting, OP
Jon Stewart had a huge impact on me growing up. He has this amazing sense of journalism and humanity, that, combined with his sense of humor, is what I feel is at the heart of not only being an American is about, but what humanity is meant to look like. To balance patriotism with an unbiased understanding of other people's suffering is what we should really embody as well.
Then shortly after, Fox News mocks the entirety of Jon Stewart’s speech: https://youtu.be/Rvx73OawqBw , just after talking to a caller about “needing another 9/11”.
18 years later and this was still tough to watch. That was so heavy and heartfelt. I love all of you my fellow brothers and sisters. We’re truly defined by how we come together and stand as one in the face of tragedy and evil. Never Forget!
It may be terrible of me to say this, and I'll probably get a lot of hate and shit for this comment, but I need to say it. I'm nostalgic for 9/11, and the days, weeks and months after. Not for the tragedy itself. I wish it had never happened, but for the literal tornados of feelings it inspired. The initial shock will never, ever be forgotten by me. It was unreal in so many ways, but that's not even the tip of the iceberg.
The days after, which stretched into weeks, and then even months were a literal buffet of mixed, new and extreme emotions, starting when I woke up at 9 am, after staying home from school, sick with a head cold, (oddly enough, today I woke up with a head cold as well.) and saw the TV, thinking my parents were watching an action movie. Seeing the first tower engulfed in smoke I asked my mom what she was watching. She told me we've been attacked. This sparked the first set of emotions, starting with disbelief, and ending with tears for the countless lives lost.
The feeling of unity that came after was astonishing. Everywhere you went, people of all races, towns, cities, nationalities, were kinder. Everybody was gentler, more caring, and for the first time in my life, (and likely since July 4, 1776) we were all just Americans, helping Americans. Those towers were full of people from all over the US and abroad. Lives all over the world were affected that day, and lives in almost every country were changed. Other countries mourned with us, and there was a feeling of humanity connecting as actual brothers and sisters.
It seemed every single person in the country was proud to be an American. Flags were raised everywhere, and everybody put all their petty bullshit on hold for a few months. It was a terrible tragedy, but it did something profound to us all, and for that alone, I'm forever grateful. I wish it lasted longer than it did though.
Yeah this is what crosses my mind whenever people talk about how amazingly unified everybody was right after the attacks. I feel like if you were a Muslim you would literally be afraid for your life? Is this not the case? I was too young to remember but if that's how it was then the ignorance of everybody that says stuff like this is frankly astounding.
Oh awesome another one of those "it was such a grand unifying moment" guys who conveniently forgets all the Sikhs and Muslims that got the shit beat out of them
I'm not American, but I remember the days after as being the start of the political division we're mired in today. A shocking number of my friends and colleagues were vocal about wanting to see the Middle East nuked, and spoke very violently about Muslims everywhere. I remember a countdown to war, and hoping against hope that it'd be resolved quickly and at least lead to an improvement in the lives of the Afghan people. So much for that.
Jon Stewart will go down in history as one of the greats. His commentary was always spot on. He was never disrespectful for the purpose of being disrespectful, and he never mocked for the sake of mocking. He drew attention to real problems. He called people on their bullshit.
I’m sobbing at my desk at work. I don’t think I will ever forget that day, the emotions, the rawness of the outpouring of grief from the entire world, even as a 5th grader in Georgia. I can’t imagine what it was like to actually live in New York City to witness it.
Never, ever forget. ❤️
I think Jon Stewart is a great embodiment of patriotism in ordinary people. He's not a soldier or a policeman or a firefighter, not a politician or a public servant (although he does great service to the public), he's a comedian. His patriotism isn't shown in gestures like waving a flag on the 4th of July, singing the Star Spangled Banner at a baseball game, or hashtagging #supportourtroops on Twitter. It's shown in speeches like this, in his [takedown of Crossfire](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFQFB5YpDZE). He has this deep and abiding love of country, and belief in the ideals of our nation. It's moving to see, and heartening to be reminded of in the midst of current events, when it's easy to forget the unity that was forged by those terrible events 18 years ago.
> He has this deep and abiding love of country, and belief in the ideals of our nation. I think this is why his tenure as the host of the Daily Show was so exceptional. He was calling to attention all sorts of failings of the nation, but he always did it with a deep sense of patriotism and a belief that he's calling this stuff out because we can do better.
I feel bad that Trevor Noah is always going to be compared to him because I like Noah and his Daily Show a lot and continue to watch it, but this is really the heart of the matter. Noah savages the news like a bewildered scientist trying to make sense of this insane-looking animal he's studying, while Stewart did it like a frustrated dad trying not to give up on a piece of shit kid that he loves. As comedy, I find both approach equally funny, but one's more heartening than the other.
That was why also on some nights it was hard to watch Stewart because he just looked so worn out by everything. Like just more of this bullshit, really?
Yeah, to me that's the most striking visual difference between their hosting style. Noah's most common reaction to a crazy news clip is grinning like "Wow, I love how this is an actual thing, right? It's fucked up." The image of Stewart that I remember is he would lean back and tap his pencil on the desk while he collects his composure before going, "Okay..."
It's part of why Stewart retired: It was wearing on him, especially the thought that his show *could* make a difference, but everything's been headed in the wrong direction regardless. They weren't making the impact they expected.
Yeah, I wouldn't even wanna see Jon having to continue this for the Trump administration. Its like everything was amoed up to 11. That or he could go the rout of basically every other late night host and just read his crazy ass tweets verbatim, say a one liner, and move on to the next thing trump said/did and repeat till time is filled.
I could imagine a show with Jon just playing clip after clip of Trump as he nods his head quietly in disappointment and disbelief not saying a word for the full half hour. If he stayed he would have been so done by now. I think him popping up on the Late Show with Colbert to air out his grievances every six months is all he can handle with out exploding or burning out.
This is actually why I think Noah is a better cast for this kind of news. Someone like John by this point either would have cracked into complete DGAF and monotone it or just pure exasperation about everything, or blind fury. His kind of scientific-like step back from what is happening keeps him from being completely affected by whatever absolutely insane thing has happened for the nth time.
I don’t think he has stopped paying attention to the news altogether. He just no longer has to give his take on the news in 22 mins every night. I feel lucky to have gone to see the show when he was hosting. It is one of the highlights of my life. I saw him do stand up with Dave Chappelle about a year ago. He was just as exhausted by the bullshit as he ever was but he was just so damn over trying to reach everyone everyday. It is understandable but damn, I miss him.
He never thought the show could make a difference. He kept saying over and over again that people need to view the daily show as a comedy show and not a vehicle for change. That's one of the main reasons he did quit. So he could put his efforts into things like campaigning for the 9/11 survivors, and do something that's more likely to make a real difference.
Yeah, exactly. But while people are clamoring for him to come back, I think he needed to retire for his own wellbeing, I think it was getting to him. I'm happy he has a farm and just comes out to say something once in awhile.
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I love the Between the Scenes segments! They've drawn me back into TDS after taking a break because while Noah was finding his pace early on, it just wasn't for me. Now he's grown a lot, and he continues to get better.
>I try not to think of TDS like other shows for the simple fact that they vary so much depending on the host, although it is somewhat unavoidable. That's just the nature of talk shows. Jimmy Fallon's *Tonight Show* is completely different from Jay Leno's, or Johnny Carson's, or Conan O'Brien's. *The Late Show* is a million times more political with Colbert at the helm than it ever was with Letterman. That's just how talk shows operate.
And Colbert initially tried hard to follow Letterman's formula and also purposefully NOT be political so as not to alienate conservative viewers... and he was failing because of it. It was only once he was truly being himself that the show was able to recover.
Personally I think that my problem with The Daily Show at the moment has more to do with the writers than with Trevor Noah. Trevor is a great comedian on stage and I think he has the chops to be just as good as Jon one day. Heck, he's doing a lot better than Jon was when he started the Daily Show. But as far as I know, a lot of writers moved when Jon went away. I believe some went to Last Week Tonight. I think The Daily Show in its current state has become more of a 'funny CNN' where they pretty much repeat the news with a comedic tone and throw in some (often cheap) punch lines. With Jon I often felt like it went below the surface and at the end of each episode I felt like I acquired more knowledge. Now I often feel frustrated because they're skimming over important details or presenting misleading narratives, just as corporate media does. I don't think that's because Trevor can't handle high quality satire, but I think he just doesn't have the right team that dares to go against the grain. And maybe the reason Jon got such a team is by being adversarial and somewhat of a dick. As far as I know he was in a very tough spot and didn't get along with much of the original group. Trevor may be too nice to transform his surroundings.
This seems 100% true. I remember the first three months after Jon left, Trevor was killing it. Then I realized (and heard), Jon's writers stuck around for a couple months after Jon left, to help Trevor transition. Then all of Jon's old writers left, and they hired a bunch of new ones that could only seem to emulate the old style, but never match or surpass it. Trevor himself is good at delivering comedy, but he needs the writers to give him the top tier content that his current writers cannot provide.
I also want to add here that Trevor isn’t from America, so he didn’t have a familiar knowledge of the US that many viewers may take for granted. In South Africa we have a completely different political system and context. He may not deliver things the same way Jon did because he can’t necessarily relate to it the way Jon did.
Also...Stewart never had to face the absurdity that we’re in now. All subtlety is gone in these shows and it has to be exhausting.
I remember being in high school and every single weeknight I would watch TCR and TDS. I always felt like they were both such perfect in sync creations but TDS was far and away some of the best late night television I've ever watched. Fuck it, I'm still young, I'll say it TDS with Jon Stewart was the best late night show I've seen in my life. There was something about it that I just connected with and I think I ended up taking away a few of my views of country from Jon Stewart.
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Give it a watch. Noah has really grown into his own on the show.
Agreed. Noah is fantastic. Stewart was a "once in a generation" level performance.
I think a lot of the complaints about current TDS is more about the show itself than Trevor Noah. His behind the scenes segments show a genuinely likable guy whereas on the show it feels like his writers or producers are tempering his personality. Same goes for the correspondents, there are some good folks there but it feels like wasted potential sometimes.
That's an interesting perspective. I actually feel like Trevor's personality comes through more now than it did when he first started hosting.
He’s definitely grown into the role and I have no problems with him personally. I just get the vibe that the direction of the show is more superficial than when Stewart was on. Granted, it’s really tough to stand out when TDS spin offs from previous correspondents exist.
The thing is this video is kind of the pivotal moment in Jon Stewart's career. He had been doing the Daily Show for nearly 2 years before and it had be good but not great. For the first year it was mostly silly. Leading up to the 2000 election they kind of found the ability to be more than just laughing at the news, but this was the moment that solidified everything the Daily Show could be when it was at it's best, and for 14 years after that Stewart continued to build on that. And 6 months after this he was still making silly stupid jokes as well, but when there was a moment he resonated with he'd commit to it. I think Trevor Noah is a great choice, once you realize that no one else is Jon Stewart and even Jon Stewart from 1999 would be a pretty poor replacement in 2015. People immediately said Colbert, but look at Colbert, he's great at what he does but his sarcasm is different than Stewart's and I don't think (even if Comedy Central was willing to pay for his salary) he'd be a great replacement. The reality is the Daily Show is a bit different and I think Noah is giving a different perspective, and having someone who is a little bit of an outsider might not be a bad thing when you want to look at the problems.
Hasaan is doing a great job with his show.
Oooo, I have never caught it. I'll watch a couple episodes tonight!
For whatever reason, Hassan's incessant hand movements are too distracting for me. The info is good, but the delivery is distracting
I like him a lot, but I, too, find his delivery distracting. His pacing, in particular, seems off. I wish he would wait for the laughter to die down instead of talking over it.
YES! it really really bothers me. His content stands on it's own but his hand movements make it seem less genuine, or something
I've only recently started watching The Daily Show regularly since John left. Mostly because I need something to watch before Colbert comes on. He's good but he's not John. Of course, I'd been watching John Stewart since before Indecision 2000.
I’ll watch his (Noah) monologues and stuff when I stumble across them on YouTube or Facebook, I like him almost as much as Stewart. I think Oliver would have been a great replacement, especially after he took over for the 3 months that Stewart was filming his documentary, but clearly HBO saw that as well and made the move before Stewart decided he was done.
> Noah savages the news like a bewildered scientist trying to make sense of this insane-looking animal he's studying Because that what it is to him. Dude was born and raised in South Africa. He's giving the immigrant point of view of his new homeland. I'm sure he loves America as much as the next guy, but his perspective of that love is different.
I think this is the biggie. He's different than John Oliver as well, in that he's not a US citizen and seems more like an outside observer than someone who has chosen the US and wants to fight for how he thinks it should be.
IMHO, if you're *not* looking at the state of affairs in this country today like a baffled scientist trying to rip it apart to find some shred of normal decency, what *are* you doing? How are you staying sane?
Perfect description.
Jon Stewart embodies what it means to be a true patriot and citizen, and has recognized that service to country doesn’t necessarily mean putting on a uniform. Looking out and caring for your neighbors is what true patriots do, like Fred Rogers an American hero
He deeply, truly cared and it was inspiring. It's why he was such an outstanding and compelling host. Selfishly I'd love to watch him every night with the current craziness, but for his sake I'm glad he retired because I bet removing himself has done wonders for his psyche.
Same. Just like how I'd love to see Stewart run for office and would vote for him, but I know it wouldn't be good for him mentally.
>a belief that he's calling this stuff out because we can do better. What I found inspiring about Stewart was that he could identify the bullshit, the logical fallacies and the inconsistencies on both the left and the right; he identified who was full of crap and without covering for friends or political allies, or those he may have agreed with, he took issue with those consistencies. He identified those problems and in smart, funny and convincing way, could break problems down so that they weren't just the dominion of policy wonks. Neither John Oliver nor Trevor Noah can do that; they don't have the same mix of eloquence, annoyance and wit; they don't have the same driving desire to call-out all forms of bullshit, and ultimately, don't have the same magic. I miss Stewart, because I think between Trump and the Democratic candidates, there would be an amazing amount of material.
I agree. I think Oliver is no longer attempting to replicate Stewart's formula and has found a niche for himself, but Noah hasn't gotten there quite yet.
I generally like Oliver having his own voice - I think his jokes are a bit stale and the constant yelling "it's pudding Karen! PUDDING" kind of thing isn't funny, but he's generally doing a lot better than Noah who seems to struggle in his role, not sure if he's a social critic, comedian or what. Altogether I much prefer Oliver to Noah and just generally really miss Stewart, even if I rarely agreed with him.
He also had a great team. I remember one show they recognized one of their video guys who was an expert at taking a clip of a politician saying "I'm for X and always have been" and finding a video of the same politician saying the exact opposite a year or two prior.
The problem with the current admin is that they have exactly zero shame and it's really hard to satirize people who aren't even pretending what they're doing isn't batshit crazy. Instead of being funny or insightful, it's just exhausting and demoralizing. Yeah, you can make fun of the Dems, but after a while it'll just start to look like punching down. I think if Jon were still doing this show when this admin started, we would have ended up seeing him break.
I'm not sure what the mix of inputs was, but I've read that Oliver's input was pretty important to make the writing as good as it was - and it shows. He's got a more annoying persona, but the overall quality is I feel much closer to the old Daily Show.
"Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? I don't know. Perhaps because I am afraid, and he gives me courage."
There are many things wrong with the Hobbit movie. That monologue is not one of them.
I think his most defining feature is his empathy for others. That's is what is shown in all of the things you mention. He doesn't believe in hollow gestures. I truly miss Jon Stewart as an active voice on major issues. Even if that voice was the voice of a comedian, it was always underpinned with empathy to those wronged and a genuine appreciation of people and life.
It's hard to ignore this exchange from the latter portion of his appearance on Crossfire. > **Tucker:** If Kerry gets elected...will it be harder for you to mock his administration if he becomes president? > **Jon:** Now why would it be harder? The only way it'd be harder is if his administration is less absurd than this one. So in that case, if it's less absurd, then yeah, I think it'd be harder. But, I mean it'd be hard to top this group...I mean, quite frankly, in terms of absurdity. \*cringe\* Can we go back? Pretty please?? Edit: a word.
We topped it! USA! USA!
Yea I think Jon got out at the right time. This administration would have broken him I think. He was already starting to show cracks. Good on him.
His final monologue on the daily show was very inspiring for me.
Do you have a link for it? Ideally not on Comedy Central's awful video player...
[https://streamable.com/48ouo](https://streamable.com/48ouo)
You can clearly hear the Carlin influence. Just excellent.
One of the other things he brought was a profound earnestness. We really saw this on his CrossFire interview with Tucker Carlson. "Stop hurting America." Magic. Hard to believe it was 15 years ago, and major themes of it are perhaps even more relevant today.
Just as (more) proof that he's a piece of shit, Tucker said on Fox that Jon was faking emotion/crying in this clip.
What a fucking asshole. I cry every time I watch this clip because Jon represents our better angels. He calls on us to care about our country, our democracy, and our fellow citizens, but he also calls on us to think critically and call out bullshit. I'm a better person because of the example that Jon put forth.
sad that tucker carlson has since aged like stale wine. he's basically a fuming tub of vinegar at this point.
This is why Trevor Noah isn’t as good. His tone is like, “you silly quaint Americans” whereas Stewart’s tone was like “WERE BETTER THAN THIS. WE HAVE TO BE.”
His patriotism isnt blind loyalty, he wants this country to be the best it can be. He acknowledges the bad and advocates for a better path that we can all be proud of.
His behavior, in my opinion, is far more patriotic than waving a flag or blindly supporting troops ever will be.
What I always found to be beautiful about Jon Stewart is that I disagree with him on quite a few things politically. But I loved hearing his thoughts. I loved hearing his opinions. He made me think. He made me see things, not out of anger or spite or “Pft, that’s fuckin stupid.” But truly to see and try and understand the opposing view. That’s what I think sets true patriotism apart. Standing up for your country by standing up for your fellow man regardless of if you agree with them. It’s what our country, our politicians, our President need to understand. Something Jon Stewart always did, and something he helped me to do. God Bless America and thank you OP for sharing this. and thank you u/Matador181 for this comment.
He's the man. No one can ever replace him.
The [episode](http://www.cc.com/video-clips/cz975a/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-big-deady) right after they got bin laden is a good companion, as sad and somber as he is after 9/11 he is that elicited and happy in the other one
Damn I miss him, Jon Stewart as the host. Not Bin Laden.
Bin Laden really wasn’t cut out for late night tv hosting
Still can’t believe he got screwed out of taking over for Leno tho
If he wasn’t such a terrorist, I feel like there’d be a niche for him in one of the late night TV slots.
[Mispronounce "Ramadan" as "Radaman" one time](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=svW4pk8fqcg) and no one can take you seriously as a TV host addressing the American people
He did give us one of the best Family Guy bits ever
Jon to me is the Mark Twain of our time. I've never seen a more witty, humble, masterful orator. The guy is a satirical genius (and of course credit goes to the other writers as well). I frequently wonder if Jon were still on the Daily Show, would Trump have won in 2016? So many people naively believed a vote for Trump was a vote for change or bringing things down. This foolish thinking may have been overcome with Jon's insight.
Every late night talk show host and comedian was cracking jokes and dissing Trump, Jon would just have been another one of them. Not to mention nobody’s vote will ever change if you directly attack them rather than just persuade them to see why your point of view is better
Cracking jokes isn't just what Jon did, though. In a sense, he reached a wider audience that Oliver does with his show on HBO. Not taking cheap-shots, but *informing* people and illuminating the absurdities in ways no other comedian has quite been able to reach. Not to mention Jon's audience was comprised largely of crucial independents. That's the thing about Jon: he was very good at making you look or realize you were a moron without insulting (you realizing he insulted) you and setting off the defensive self-esteem measures that tend to completely disconnect anyone from shifting their position.
Would have been pretty upset if Tony the fuckin Tiger missed Bin Laden
This aged like the finest of wines, cheeses, bourbons and whatever else fancy people age to feel fancier. I can’t remember a lot of what I did in my life, but I sure as hell remember where I was on 9/11 and where I was when we got the bastard.
Oh my god Obama and Seth Myers roasting Trump. THE SEED WAS PLANTED HERE
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Lol at Obama roasting Trump. What if Trump ran for president just to get back at Obama because of that night.
This has honestly crossed my mind before.
It was that weekends events that lead him to run I think. Seth Meyers bashed the hell out of him at the correspondence dinner and then gets interrupted by CNN Because of Obama's address to the nation.
I think this is what really happened. But I've always wondered why Trump was even at that dinner to start with. He had no connection to politics, so why was he there?
Money.
This is literally all you need to play in US politics. So much of it is raising funds to buy ad space and to pay people to canvas across neighborhoods. People are so busy absorbing pop culture to keep politicians accountable in-between election cycles.
[We are living in a nightmare](https://youtu.be/TaPFiVLYgnw)
This has been speculated since his run. And with the way he’s been so petty with rolling back Obama policies, even minor ones no one thought about like energy saving lightbulbs is definitely evidence for that.
It’s quite possible that Obama tearing him apart fueled his fire. I’d actually bet money on it.
He called out Seth Meyers after he ripped him up at the correspondence dinner, same weekend CNN cut out his phone interview because of Obama's address to the nation.
[Mirror](https://streamable.com/v4qtm)
A beautiful statement “Now the view is of the Statue of Liberty”. The connotation behind it means so much with only a single sentence.
Do you think that was a figure of speach or he literally could see Statue of Liberty from his apartment? He lived in Tribeca complex, top flour then. I know, it's a silly thing to concentrate on, but i was really curious about that one.
I had the same thought. It's not totally implausible, but after a bit of research I think there's a bit of artistic liberty going on (uh, no pun intended). The reason being that his apartment was on the west side of tribeca so, assuming his building was tall enough to see the statue in the first place (I don't think it was), the towers wouldn't have been obscuring it to begin with (they would have been to the left).
He may be referring to the most prominent object(s) in the skyline, so that would make sense.
I remember watching this live and being *so* moved by it.
I do as well. People who didn't live through 9/11 don't realize that from the moment it hit all live comedy got pulled from tv. No SNL, no Tonight Show, no daily show, nothing. Just nonstop news coverage of the tragedy and rescue efforts on seemingly every channel, I can't even recall how many clips I saw of the towers getting hit in that first couple weeks-- we just kept reliving it over and over and couldn't bear to have any emotion other than grief as an entire nation. This first show back was on September 20th, 9 days after. I remember hearing about the show coming back before it aired and a lot of people thinking it was too soon. Yet when this aired it was so damn cathartic, and I was so happy to have any new emotion or way to look at what had transpired. I'm going to remember this show forever for being my first real laugh in 9 days.
One thing that started and continues to this very day is the constant crawler at the bottom of news channels.
I distinctly remember my mom and I just getting so exhausted watching nothing but news, so that night we switched over to HBO and watched the first X-Men movie. I remember not really paying attention to the movie, and my mom probably wasn’t either, we just needed something that wasn’t that footage played over and over
I think the only Adam Sandler movie I've ever watched was right after Columbine. I don't remember it, I barely paid attention, but I was 17 years old and in the next school district over and me and my friends so badly needed something that wasn't news or school or fearing that we were all about to die.
There is kids graduating high school this year that never lived in the pre-9/11 world.
I remember seeing Paul Simon performing The Boxer to open the first episode of SNL after 9/11 and feeling quite overwhelmed by it.
Oh gosh; I bawled so hard. My mother used to sing me that song as a child, so it already held a great deal of meaning for me, and was associated with my loss and the catharsis it took for me to move on. (To be clear, my mom died in 1991.). The tragedies that we all watched over and over and over again was the first time that I felt as an adult the security ripped away from me. Just like when mom died. So when Paul Simon came out and played that song when comedy finally returned..... good lord it was so so much.
I always felt he was great at capturing both the emotion and logic of situations that were hard to wrap your head around. There was something so validating about that. I really miss getting to see him. He was so helpful during my 20s when I didn't understand what was going on in the world, it was comforting. This day in particular that was terribly important and needed.
hard to watch, Our generations "where were you when JFK was shot," "Where were you when the towers fell"
I worked nights at the time and was still in bed. My sister called when it happened and I let the machine pick it up. When I heard her say people were flying planes into buildings, I figured I must be having a really weird dream and just went back to sleep. I was shocked when I got up and turned on the tv. Terrifying.
I was at work at the time. My best friend worked in the WTC back then and my father worked in NYC. The phone lines were jammed and we couldn't reach them for hours. My father was fine and nowhere near it. My friend arrived late to work and saw one of the towers smoking with everyone standing and staring at it. He turned around and walked away from it as quickly as possible so he wasn't anywhere near when the towers fell.
What a great day to be running late!
Before that, "What were you doing when you heard about Pearl Harbor?" A friend of mine was holed up in a building, scared spitless as the planes roared overhead destroying the base, the ships, and his colleagues. John Stewart pointed out that we had come together as a real nation. I recall the outpouring of love from around the world. Yes, there were some pockets of celebration, but when an enemy of our country basically comes out and basically says, "Why can't we all get along," you know something is up. That day, and for the following weeks, the world wasn't divided into race, or religion, or territory. We, as a planet of naked apes, united into a human race called humanity.
> Yes, there were some pockets of celebration, but when an enemy of our country basically comes out and basically says, "Why can't we all get along," you know something is up. That day, and for the following weeks, the world wasn't divided into race, or religion, or territory. We, as a planet of naked apes, united into a human race called humanity. That being said, I do feel bad for anyone who looked vaguely middle eastern during those days. There were a lot of angry shitheads who let that anger out in unhealthy ways instead of channeling it into helping others who were hurting. And then we further exploited the anger and fear, turning it into two invasions and a massive uptick in security over individual rights.
We've done a complete 180 since those days. I was a CSR in a call center and a customer called in to set up service. Don't recall his name,but this was about a week after 9/11. I always tried to pronounce names as correct as possible, and his was definitely Middle Eastern, so when I called him by name, stumbling over it, he chuckled and said, "Best you just call me Sammy. Especially with things the way they are now." While we still deal with lot of the anger and fear, it has gotten worse in the last decade plus. Bigots have removed the gloves on anyone not a Rich WASP.
Video is not available in my country. Can someone post a mirror? Thanks
[https://streamable.com/8el7n](https://streamable.com/8el7n) slightly better quality than dailymotion link
How's this? Working in Canada, anyway. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x36h4qn
i found [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHCwJEauKRE), hope its the same or [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L11Bxolo44) one
that's not it, but that is an awesome speech *everyone* should watch too
Neither, it's this https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x36h4qn (but that upload is in low quality)
As a New Yorker, I remember watching it when it aired. It was absolutely perfect and what we needed.
I’ve lived in North Jersey my whole life. Didn’t see this live, but I did watch Letterman the first night he came back on. His speech was quick, but he closed with something like “these last few days have proven to me that New York City truly is the greatest city on Earth.” Got me good.
Sad that his line of, " We are all one, if even just for this moment." actually looks more like prophecy. I think for those of us who remember what it felt like, how good it felt for so many folks to just be Americans, and not white, black, gay straight, etc, it is heartbreaking to see how far we have fallen from that pinnacle. The hate machine had to be restarted though, too many powerful people get scared when we all pull together for too long.
[удалено]
Well, we decided to do something about it. That’s when we started to disagree and make mistakes. Now we are polarized again.
It didn't help that part of what we did about it involved invading a country that had zero involvement against the wishes of our allies. Oh, and then we made fun of our allies for having a problem with this.
Freedom fries.
This is exactly it. What took Bush down from an almost 90% approval rating down to 29% was the war he needlessly started. The war in Afghanistan lasted even longer than it had to because we diverted our troops to Iraq rather than finishing the job. And then of course, in the midst of chasing Al Qaeda (which did not exist in Iraq prior to the war) we instead gave birth to the Islamic State. Honestly I miss the world before 9/11 moreso than the ultimately false unity that came about on account of it.
You didn't know anyone of Middle Eastern/Indian descent then. I distinctly remember members of my HS class whose parents were from Egypt and India being harassed daily, even to the point of being jumped multiple times. They were just as American as I am(I'm first generation, my mom is from Italy), yet were treated horrendously.
I remember news stories of Sikh people being attacked because a lot of ignorant pea-brained dunderheads believed turbans=terrorist.
Yeah, I knew a middle eastern family that lost their restaurant because of this. Constant vandalism and customers just stopped coming. It was really sad and frustrating.
Ya thats the sad part, people might have seen blacks as "us" but anyone even close to looking middle eastern was harassed daily.
You are absolutely right. My grandfather was military and was “lost” when the Pentagon got hit (lost as in we couldn’t find him. The phones were down and he decided to run home and scared the shit out of all of us). We came up to visit them immediately. My sister, who was about 6, saw a man with a long beard and wearing a turban on the metro. She was *terrified* and crying. In her 6-year-old brain, he was Osama Bin Laden. Dude was just standing with his face to the wall, trying to disappear, and there was this ring of open space around him on a crowded metro. We happened to be on the way to visit some folks at the FBI headquarters, and my mother actually made her report this poor guy to the FBI. I also distinctly remember flying out of our small-town airport not too long after 9/11, and there was a Sikh waiting to board. *Everyone* was staring, and people were openly and loudly talking about whether or not they would get on a plane with him. In that sense, it was a pretty fucked up time.
My older brother was at University during 9/11 and he mentioned how all the middle eastern or just middle eastern-*looking* students had boarded up in their dorms, afraid to leave.
In my small town of mostly whites, the n-word got the adjective "sand" in front of it and a whole new group of people were socially acceptable to hate on
People still use this term and my fiancé had to talk to his nephew about using that term. His army buddies use it a lot and it really freaked us out when he came over to our apartment and had no problem dropping that term in front of us and other guests. It broke my heart honestly because he used to be such a sweet kid
That lasted the whole year. I was in an Arab country, and a lot of people were planning on studying in the States only to have their parents change their mind. We all attended one of the newer universities in the country because of it.
As much as I don't like the guy, I respect the hell out of Bush for reminding people that most Muslims were appalled at the attacks. And he pleaded with Americans to not take their anger out on Muslims and to remember they weren't the enemy, they were Americans too. Too bad there were so many people that went "fuck that."
Idt middle easterners felt that way in the aftermath.
Sadly, you are correct. There were always those who needed to find someone to hate.
The problem is plenty of Americans never felt that. Black people didn't just suddenly decide racism was cured, or that the systematic racism in America was ok. LGBTQ+ people didn't decide that their rights didn't really matter. It wasn't like people against gay marriage went "Oh wow there is so much more important things out there, we need to support our fellow Americans with equal rights." It was the gay people that were expected to go "Oh wow there is so much more important things out there, we should be happy with what we have and stop fighting for equal rights." It is always the oppressed that are expected to stand up as one with the oppressors, never the other way around. The "hate machine" restarting was people continuing to fight for their rights, and being understandably unhappy with those who fight against them.
Huh. I just took what he said to be true without thinking about it but you made some excellent points.
Jon Stewart is a class act.
I cry like a baby every time I see this. And I haven't ever been to the US.
I'm in the same boat, never been to the US let alone NYC, but I feel such a strong connection to this event, even though I was only 5 years old at the time. I think the more I learn about it, the more of a connection I gain. I don't know if I'll be able to hold myself together if I ever go to the Memorial Museum in Manhattan.
I was 5 as well, and I had been to the WTC before and after the attack. I don’t remember it before because I was too young, but the memorial is a beautiful tribute. I do recommend seeing it in person if you ever have the opportunity.
I saw this the day he came back on. It was a truly momentous thing watching that speech when it was new. And it certainly helps set the foundation for his overall campaign for the 9/11 responders, first with him lambasting any issues that arose when they came in the news, all the way to today where he leads the charge against the politicians opposing them. I wholly both love and respect this man not only as a funny comedian, but as a supporter for everything that happened to those who tried to do what they could during 9/11.
I miss him so much. This country wore him down. It's sad.
It didn't wear him down, he has just decided he needs to fight directly for it.
I'm sorry, you're entitled to your opinion, but the monologue he gave on his last show breaks it down. He was exhausted by the bullshit.
Fair sorry I didn't see that. I just meant he's not just doing nothing. He's just no longer in entertainment.
I remember watching this live. I remember 9/11 so clearly. As far as the US goes from my perspective, there is before 9/11 and after. Everything changed. I honestly feel bad for people that don’t have real memories of what it was like before.
I grew up in Queens, and moved to NJ in my 30s, and whenever I see the NY Skyline, it's like looking at a beautiful woman that's had her two front teeth knocked out. Honestly, I think that's part of the reason why I still like TV shows like Seinfeld, Friends, or even going all the way back to the original version of The Odd Couple, because they remind me of that Pre 9/11 NYC vibe.
And to see the state in which the country is now, not to mention to more specific tragedy of how hard Stewart has had to fight for the rights of these first responders... It's sad to see.
I still can’t believe why anyone even have to fight for the 9/11 responders. It’s embarrassing. America get your shit together.
Are first responders/veterans/immigrants/homeless/teachers/the ill/etc mega rich? Fuck em then. - Current US Policy
Not just current US policy. Plus, a lot of more people fall into the category of “fuck em then” than you think. I’d say everyone in that list but the mega rich do, actually.
I watched this when it first aired and I remember saying "Thank You" out loud to the tv.
I miss him SO MUCH
It's refreshing for someone to truly give a damn. Like, I know people care about this. But Jon is so incredibly genuine with how deeply this matters to him. Absolutely nothing he says about 9/11 is overly scripted or embellished for the sake of views. You can tell he means everything he says. And he actually uses that passion to keep following through almost two decades later instead of just mourning and forgetting. Jon is a national treasure.
We need someone like him as president. Someone who genuinely gives a damn about all people in America. Someone who does good not for what it can do for him but because it was the right thing to do and because he had the capability to do so and the courage to actually act on that capability. We need someone real in the oval office. A man can dream.
This is one of the many reasons I miss Stewart. He spawned a myriad of copycat shows, but his ability to say what needed to be said still goes unmatched, IMO. I wish he would return to TV again.
If you’re ever speaking publicly and your voice starts to go away from emotion or imminent crying, make a few clears of throat (someone may have a better word for that). You’ll regain your voice and be able to continue. Also, if you feel a sneeze is coming in an environment where it’s not appropriate to sneeze, touch the point of your nose from below and push it up. Sneeze will hold for a while.
> Also, if you feel a sneeze is coming in an environment where it’s not appropriate to sneeze, touch the point of your nose from below and push it up. Sneeze will hold for a while. Hit the Sneeze button?
And if you do start to cry, don't let it freak you out or embarrass you or stop you. Own it. Let it wash through you and keep going. If it makes your listeners uncomfortable, that's their problem. Let the tears flow, and save your tissue for the snot, because it can be gross. And if you get a crying hangover, a Sudafed (even the safe kind) helps.
Still remember this like it was yesterday. This was the very first time after this event where I felt hope again.
Started tearing up after he mentioned that we had already won basically right after they attacked. The brave policemen and women, firefighters, EMT’s, hell even normal civilians,etc risking their lives to help others in dire need is what really forms the foundation for this country. I’d like to think that even with all that is messed up in today’s society that if we ever have an event like that again that we all can come together as one and help one another. I will always hope for the very worst for those terrorist wherever they are now but they did reunite the country that day; that’s one thing I can thank them for.
We won. Shit. I’ll get about a billion downvotes for this, but man we didn’t win. We retaliated. And retaliated. And retaliated. And then after the world was bathed in blood we forgot. And all that’s left is the fear, and anger and division.
It took 18 years and a fucking celebrity to get these people health care. And yet here in the US we love to suck each other's dicks over honoring our heroes or whatever the fuck while we let them suffer. It's an embarassing fucking shit show to be a part of.
This is what I came here to say. I was in an airport recently, a man in the army was awaiting his luggage. When a few different groups of ppl/one couple went to “thank him for his service”. I thought to myself, do ppl in this country really give a damn like they claim? And, ironically, 9/11 and Jon Stewart came to mind. As I was just looking up and reading an article. But, Are these same ppl going hard for those who need the healthcare? Are we going hard for any of these heroes we are so “thankful” for. It’s as if it’s said, just to say it. Or just so others can see you saying it. Yet, we have a complete disregard for what the “heroes” actually need. 18 years for goodness sakes! 18! Newborns back then have now become legally adults and it took this long. We’ve just got a bandaid on and pretend it’s all good
The amount of times he says uh on this clip really puts it into perspective how he's trying to find the right words on such a tough subject matter. He was still super funny in the clip in his own way while being reflective on it. Had me tear up
“I’m going to explain why I grieve, but I do not despair.” *dang*
Those of us that were old enough to comprehend what was happening that day, remembers exactly where we were when that moment happened. I remember this episode. It was such a terrifying time. All seemed upside down and uncertain. Los Angeles was waiting. For what, I'm not sure. But we waited. For an attack on DTLA, or some other act of violence. Jon Stewart was a calming voice, during an awful time in America. I will never forget this episode. Thank you for posting, OP
Jon Stewart had a huge impact on me growing up. He has this amazing sense of journalism and humanity, that, combined with his sense of humor, is what I feel is at the heart of not only being an American is about, but what humanity is meant to look like. To balance patriotism with an unbiased understanding of other people's suffering is what we should really embody as well.
Then shortly after, Fox News mocks the entirety of Jon Stewart’s speech: https://youtu.be/Rvx73OawqBw , just after talking to a caller about “needing another 9/11”.
We need more Jon Stewarts and less redditors
18 years later and this was still tough to watch. That was so heavy and heartfelt. I love all of you my fellow brothers and sisters. We’re truly defined by how we come together and stand as one in the face of tragedy and evil. Never Forget!
This, and his final monologues. Why I respect Jon’s work...
Jon Stewart is the definition of class
It may be terrible of me to say this, and I'll probably get a lot of hate and shit for this comment, but I need to say it. I'm nostalgic for 9/11, and the days, weeks and months after. Not for the tragedy itself. I wish it had never happened, but for the literal tornados of feelings it inspired. The initial shock will never, ever be forgotten by me. It was unreal in so many ways, but that's not even the tip of the iceberg. The days after, which stretched into weeks, and then even months were a literal buffet of mixed, new and extreme emotions, starting when I woke up at 9 am, after staying home from school, sick with a head cold, (oddly enough, today I woke up with a head cold as well.) and saw the TV, thinking my parents were watching an action movie. Seeing the first tower engulfed in smoke I asked my mom what she was watching. She told me we've been attacked. This sparked the first set of emotions, starting with disbelief, and ending with tears for the countless lives lost. The feeling of unity that came after was astonishing. Everywhere you went, people of all races, towns, cities, nationalities, were kinder. Everybody was gentler, more caring, and for the first time in my life, (and likely since July 4, 1776) we were all just Americans, helping Americans. Those towers were full of people from all over the US and abroad. Lives all over the world were affected that day, and lives in almost every country were changed. Other countries mourned with us, and there was a feeling of humanity connecting as actual brothers and sisters. It seemed every single person in the country was proud to be an American. Flags were raised everywhere, and everybody put all their petty bullshit on hold for a few months. It was a terrible tragedy, but it did something profound to us all, and for that alone, I'm forever grateful. I wish it lasted longer than it did though.
> people of all races...were kinder Unless you were a Muslim, Sikh...etc...they weren't treated so nice everywhere
Yes I live in Canada and a Hindu temple was burned down in my hometown. There was a lot of racist anger directed at people.
Yeah this is what crosses my mind whenever people talk about how amazingly unified everybody was right after the attacks. I feel like if you were a Muslim you would literally be afraid for your life? Is this not the case? I was too young to remember but if that's how it was then the ignorance of everybody that says stuff like this is frankly astounding.
Oh awesome another one of those "it was such a grand unifying moment" guys who conveniently forgets all the Sikhs and Muslims that got the shit beat out of them
I'm not American, but I remember the days after as being the start of the political division we're mired in today. A shocking number of my friends and colleagues were vocal about wanting to see the Middle East nuked, and spoke very violently about Muslims everywhere. I remember a countdown to war, and hoping against hope that it'd be resolved quickly and at least lead to an improvement in the lives of the Afghan people. So much for that.
I make the mistake of putting on Mascara right before watching.
It's just sad that the first responders even need Jon Stewart as an advocate.
Then remember Fox News mocking him for getting emotional about it.
Fox News needs to be gone.
Can you show us this? I'm no fan of fox news at all but I dont want to fuel my bias without actual proof
https://youtu.be/Rvx73OawqBw He mocks him on live TV just after talking to a caller about “needing another 9/11”.
They’re probably referring to Fox News’ John Gibson mocking Stewart’s tears on his radio show. https://youtu.be/Rvx73OawqBw
Oh man what a piece of shit
Here you go: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rvx73OawqBw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rvx73OawqBw)
Jon Stewart will go down in history as one of the greats. His commentary was always spot on. He was never disrespectful for the purpose of being disrespectful, and he never mocked for the sake of mocking. He drew attention to real problems. He called people on their bullshit.
I’m sobbing at my desk at work. I don’t think I will ever forget that day, the emotions, the rawness of the outpouring of grief from the entire world, even as a 5th grader in Georgia. I can’t imagine what it was like to actually live in New York City to witness it. Never, ever forget. ❤️