12/11/2023 0 Comments Im just a bill jon stewart![]() ![]() But star anchor Megyn Kelly once acknowledged that an especially comprehensive takedown of her by Stewart had reduced her to tears. Officially, Fox News has been largely dismissive of Stewart as just another lefty ideologue who mocked the conservative-leaning channel to gin up ratings. ![]() The Fox News Channel took Stewart’s wrath particularly hard. (Among other instances, Stewart memorably spit-roasted Blitzer the night CNN jumped the gun to report the Supreme Court had overturned Obamacare, only to backtrack with Blitzer citing “widely different” reports.) Colleagues reported that Wolf Blitzertook Stewart’s hectoring especially hard. Inside CNN, many felt Stewart’s barbed contempt tilted unfairly in their direction - and it may have, because it sprang from chagrined disappointment more than pure disdain. When Larry King asked him directly why he picked on CNN so much, Stewart memorably fired back: “You’re terrible!” Terrible, in Stewart’s view, for blowing stories (like “poop cruises” or missing planes) out of proportion for substituting holograms of reporters in place of substantive news for foisting on viewers what he perceived as poseurs (favorite Stewart pinatas included Tucker Carlson, Rick Sanchez and Eliot Spitzer - none of whom survived long after the eviscerations) but mainly for not living up to Stewart’s - and by extension his viewers’ - expectations. So it was always incredibly painful that he would attack us the way he did.” And oh he did. ![]() It is no exaggeration to say it: When Jon Stewart goes, the country will be losing the most focused, fiercest and surely funniest media critic of the past two decades.Īs one longtime executive at CNN put it to me: “The irony always was that most people in the place truly enjoyed his show, never missed it. The only place those sighs will echo louder is within the newsrooms of the major media enterprises, which have, if anything, endured an even worse bludgeoning thanks to Stewart’s relentless scrutiny. Mainly that departure is expected to leave a void for loyal followers of liberal causes, though it also may inspire sighs of relief from the horde of public officials Jon has eviscerated over the years. But the incident is likely to have little impact on Stewart’s legacy as he heads for his exit from the show on Aug. The Cenac episode stirred a round of surprised reactions, though veterans of the show know well that Stewart can be a demanding boss. Wilmore has been effusive to me in his praise for Stewart’s generosity and leadership. Comedy Central program The Nightly Show, which Stewart produces. he also was singularly responsible for promoting black comic and writer Larry Wilmore - first on The Daily Show and then as Stewart’s handpicked successor to Colbert on the 11:30 p.m. Most recently he won huge praise for his heartfelt commentary on the slaughter of black churchgoers by a white supremacist in Charleston, S.C. Stewart’s bona fides as a progressive on race are legit and long. Jon Stewart Talks Retirement Plans and George W. Cenac recounted a shouting match that ended with Stewart telling him he was “done with him.” So it certainly rang a bit discordantly July 23 when the former correspondent (and the show’s only black writer at the time), Wyatt Cenac, described a charged confrontation with the host over what Cenac perceived as a racially insensitive impression of 2012 Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain. Stewart usually was seen as an ardent defender and friendly host during frequent (seven) Obama appearances - though he took on the president over several issues where he was disappointed, including veterans affairs and the massively botched launch of Obamacare. Since then, Stewart has used that position to become the left’s most trusted critic of political hypocrisy and mendacity. That night was momentous both for Obama and Stewart, who cemented his position as the comic voice (and conscience) of the political left-of-center in 21st century America. It was only after he left the air a short while later that the explosion came, as first he and Colbert shared what looked like a victory hug, and then Jon met his wife, Tracey, who was in the audience, and they also embraced. As the crowd unleashed a roar of approval (and Colbert did his best faux harrumphing, saying it was still only a “maybe”), Stewart exerted a visible effort to swallow down the grin that threatened to explode across his face. ![]()
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