Sally Reed
Jon Stewart referenced Tucker Carlson during his monologue on Monday’s episode of The Daily Show. The longtime comedian and original Daily Show used Carlson’s recent interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the core material for his humorous analysis.
Carlson Decided To Interview Putin As His ‘Duty To Inform People‘
During the show, Stewart shared a short clip from Tucker Carlson’s trip to highlight his point. The clip showed Carlson explaining the reasoning behind his decision to interview Putin.
In the clip, which was originally shown on the Tucker Carlson Network (TCN), Carlson explained that “it’s our job” and “we’re in journalism.” The 54-year-old further explained that “it’s our duty to inform people.”
Stewart Turns Carlson’s Response Into Two-Step Joke
After the clip was shown, Stewart responded with a quick two-step joke related to Carlson’s claims. The first step that Stewart presumably jotted down in his notebook on camera and muttered out loud was to “lie about what your job is.”
Stewart followed up the first step by saying that “step two” was to “lie about what your duty is.” It may have seemed as if Stewart was done with the clip and with referencing Tucker Carlson. However, he later proved that he was just getting started.
Carlson Claimed That ‘Freedom Of Speech Is Our Birthright’
Carlson explained in the clip that the American people has the “right to know all they can about a way they’re implicated in.” He then added that “freedom of speech is our birthright.”
Stewart poked fun at this by first referring to Carlson as “sensei” and giving him kudos since his comment “was deep.” He added to joke with more “notes” that we presumably wrote down and muttered regarding what he learned from the clip. Stewart joked that the lesson was to “disguise your deception and capitulation to power as noble and moral and based in freedom.”
Stewart Mocks Carlson’s Reaction To Shopping Carts In Moscow
Tucker Carlson also recorded footage of his tour of Moscow, the capital city of Russia. It seemed as if he was completely taken aback by such amenities as a subway that was “nicer than anything” in the U.S. and grocery store shopping carts.
Carlson highlighted the coin slot on the shopping cart used for cart rental purposes. He referred to it as an “incentive to return it and not just bring it to your homeless encampment.” After referring to Carlson as an expletive, Stewart mocked him by saying that he didn’t realize the homeless problem in the U.S. “was caused by easy access to shopping carts.”
Jon Stewart Joked About Carlson Sniffing Bread As ‘Free Speech Warrior’
Another clip from the broadcast showed Tucker Carlson apparently enjoying the smell of freshly-baked bread. The footage showed his level of enthusiasm as he did it, which inadvertently added to the hilarity of the experience for viewers.
Stewart responded to this apparent enthusiasm by mentioned that Carlson “really likes bread.” He further exclaimed “nostrovia” (which means “Cheers” in Russian) in response to the observation that deciding to “bang the occasional sourdough” is what is required to be a “free speech warrior.”
Carlson Claimed That Visiting A Russian Grocery Store ‘Will Radicalize You‘
Tucker summarized his trip to the grocery store by explaining that visiting the Russian grocery, which he also referred to as “the heart of evil,” would “radicalize you.” According to Carlson, this effect would happen after paying attention to “what things cost” and “how people live.”
Stewart added humor to Carlson’s statement with additional mockery by saying that the experience would only radicalize you if you did not “understand basic economics.”
Stewart Also Mocked Carlson While Discussing Aftermath Of Navalny Death
The aftermath of the recent death of Russian opposition leader Alexi Navalny was also referenced as Stewart continued to mock Tucker Carlson’s statements. Navalny died from “sudden death syndrome” while serving a 19-year sentence in an Arctic Circle penal colony for extremism charges.
Stewart showed a clip originally aired by CBS News that showed Russian forces arresting and attacking citizens who were publicly honoring Navalny. Stewart responded to that footage by noting that the difference between the “urinal-caked subways” of the U.S. and the “candelabra’d beautiful subways” of Russia was the “literal price of freedom.” He then accused Carlson of supporting Russia simply because the country is “unwoke.”
Stewart Said, ‘Russia Was The Enemy’ Before ‘Woke Versus Unwoke’ Battle
Jon Stewart explained that “Russia was the enemy” ever since the “old civilization battle” was capitalism versus communism ever since World War II. However, according to Stewart, there has apparently been a change that transitioned the battle to “woke versus unwoke” – a battle in which “Putin is an ally.”
Stewart added that Putin is viewed as a “friend” even though he is also a “brutal and ruthless dictator.” Driving his commentary back towards mocking Carlson, Jon then added that “liberty is nice” but “have you seen Russia’s shopping carts?”
Jon Stewart Faced Backlash After Last Week’s Mockery Of Presidential Candidates
Jon Stewart faced backlash last week after the season premiere of The Daily Show in which he mocked likely presidential candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden. This was not very surprising to those who remember Stewart’s original run as the host of the show which ended nearly a decade ago.
Stewart opened this week’s episode of The Daily Show by responding to the backlash. Specifically, he focused on the claims that he was “bothsidest” since he took down Biden and Trump equally within his comments during the season premiere. He then highlighted the “particulars of unquestioning propaganda” as he then segued into targeting Tucker Carlson within his monologue.
Stewart Was ‘Thrilled For The Show’ When Trevor Noah Succeeded Him As Host
Jon Stewart essentially passed the hosting baton over to comedian Trevor Noah back in 2015 when he made the decision to leave The Daily Show after hosting it since 1999. At the time, Trevor Noah was a 31-year-old comedian that had only made three appearances on the Comedy Central show before being given the hosting job.
Stewart issued a statement shortly after the decision to hire Noah was first made in which he said he was “thrilled for the show and for Trevor.” Stewart added that Noah was a “tremendous comic and talent.” However, he also made it clear that he would still leave the door open to “rejoin as a correspondent just to be a part of it” in the future.
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