# Jon Stewart to step down from The Daily Show **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 10, 2015, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345 "2015-02-10T23:49:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345/341 "2015-04-01T06:16:56Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > I don’t know that it’s a molehill. Quite frankly, had this been tweets from, say, a Fox News anchor, TDS would have been the first to make a meal out of it. Meh. Fox News anchors regularly provide much bigger feasts than these meager tweets. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345/342 "2015-04-01T07:15:10Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Meh. Fox News anchors regularly provide much bigger feasts than these meager tweets. But the Daily Show does focus on talking about blunders made by public figures. You do need a certain moral ground. And media outrage is indeed dangerous if not handled properly. Ask Brian Williams. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345/343 "2015-04-01T10:59:47Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > This one is a little worse, playing on an (apparent) stereotype of Jewish women (is there some stereotype about Jewish women not giving blowjobs? Learn something new every day). Not sure if this is a uniquely South African thing, but the _kugel_ stereotype is basically what the airhead blonde stereotype is elsewhere - brainless,neurotic, materialistic, and the subject of such jokes as “Why did the _kugel_ smile at her wedding? Because she knew she’d given her last blowjob” - this falls under that heading - lame, sexist, dated stereotyping but not antisemitic as such - it’s not the woman’s Jewishness that is the butt of the joke, it’s “young Jewish woman” as a social group and stereotype - I believe the US equivalent of a _kugel_ would be a [Jewish American Princess](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotypes_of_Jews#Jewish-American_Princess). Note the disinterest in sex is particularly characteristic there too. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345/344 "2015-04-01T11:13:28Z")
The way some people are reacting, you’d think this guy was being proposed for a cabinet post or a seat on the Supreme Court. He’s a comic getting a job as a comic. Granted, it’s a job that has a certain aura about it, but in the grand scheme of things, he tries to make people laugh. As such, the reaction/overreaction seems just a tad silly. Those who think he’s a sexist ass can avoid him. If he can’t pull in the ratings, he’ll be fired. In any case, no one anywhere is forced to even notice his existence. Frankly, I think Howard Stern is among highly offensive public figures and he’s still around. I have chosen to avoid his broadcasts, and his existence doesn’t affect me at all. But maybe I’m an anomaly. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345/345 "2015-04-01T11:25:13Z")
There’s no way that Noah doesn’t get the job. If Noah gets too edgy as host of the Daily Show, then he might be out. But there’s not going to be a successful public campaign to remove him. And even if it succeeded, you’d be “rewarded” with someone like Carrot Top, who would at least be safe. Maher has been a TON more offensive. I realize that Comedy Central isn’t HBO, but strong enough public campaigns can ruin anyone and even Maher has his limits(if he said something racist, he’d disappear and never be heard from again). ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345/346 "2015-04-01T12:30:19Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Frankly, I think Howard Stern is among highly offensive public figures and he’s still around. I have chosen to avoid his broadcasts, and his existence doesn’t affect me at all. But maybe I’m an anomaly. I’m with you. Howard Stern appealed to me when I was 11, so I listened to him. He doesn’t appeal to me when I’m in my 30s, so I don’t. I never considered that I should campaign to have him removed from the airwaves, so that no one could listen to him. It’s all right to just say, “This isn’t for me.” Most things aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345/347 "2015-04-01T12:32:42Z")
Yeah, that was only part of the culture when it was right-wingers trying to censor. “If you don’t like it, don’t watch it!” Obviously, that wasn’t a sincerely held principle given how easily people get removed from the air these days for saying naughty things. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345/348 "2015-04-01T13:25:40Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > I don’t know that it’s a molehill. Quite frankly, had this been tweets from, say, a Fox News anchor, TDS would have been the first to make a meal out of it. He’s a comedian hosting a comedy show not a supposed Journalist hosting a News show. The two situations are not the same. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345/349 "2015-04-01T13:41:06Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Yeah, that was only part of the culture when it was right-wingers trying to censor. “If you don’t like it, don’t watch it!” Obviously, that wasn’t a sincerely held principle given how easily people get removed from the air these days for saying naughty things. The [Giant Fire Salp](http://www.biodiversityexplorer.org/mm/tunicates/pyrostremma_spinosum.htm) is an incredible deep sea worm, sometimes reaching lengths of 60 feet or more. Part of what makes it so fascinating is that each worm isn’t a single creature, but rather is a colony of thousands of smaller creatures working in tandem to move, eat, and, presumably, engage in media criticism. If a giant fire salp appears to hold contradictory political principles based on whether its criticism is direct at liberals or conservatives, it’s appropriate to question its sincerity: even though thousands of individuals make it up, they act in unison in everything they do. Liberals are not a giant fire salp. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345/350 "2015-04-01T13:43:57Z")
When I see the left rise up to defend people who get fired for politically incorrect statements like they did movies and shows targeted by the religious right, I’ll concede your point. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345/351 "2015-04-01T14:08:22Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > I care nothing about offensiveness. I just think he’s funnier and more attuned to American politics than Noah. I think Jim Jefferies’ standup is hilarious and he’s a quick wit as a podcast guest, so I can imagine him doing a decent job as a show host. That said, Dick Cheney has a better chance of landing the _Daily Show_ gig than he does. Jeffries has said things that make Noah’s tweets seem like _Hee Haw_ jokes. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345/352 "2015-04-01T14:24:35Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > I don’t know that it’s a molehill. Quite frankly, had this been tweets from, say, a Fox News anchor, TDS would have been the first to make a meal out of it. I don’t know about that. If TDS made a meal of every stupid tweet that every Fox News Anchor or other news pundit made, that’s all the would be. It would no longer be The Daily Show, it would be the Twitter Review Show. They would make a meal of it if the tweets showed hypocrisy or something like that by the anchor. Like if a Fox News Anchor done one of the following things:[ul] [li]Attacked a liberal who had fat shamed some women[/li][li]Accused someone of anti-Semitism for weak reasons[/li][li]Dismissed someone for being unfunny[/li][/ul] Then TDS could use those tweets and go after the anchor a bit, but even then I don’t think it would be a full meal, it would be a quick bit and then on to something else. I’m not that familiar with Noah, other than the few times he’s been on TDS. I think [this article](http://thedailybanter.com/2015/03/trevor-noahs-bad-old-jokes/) sums up my feelings on the tweets: > [@](#): > > Trevor Noah is being held to a very high standard as the replacement for Jon Stewart, as he should be. And while the “jokes” he made sucked… actually, that’s all that I have to say about it. Those jokes sucked. They’re half-baked dudebro jokes — cheap, opportunistic, geared to the lowest common denominator. Comedians aren’t perfect, but we rarely see their very worst material. Nowadays, however, they’re trying out that crap material online as opposed to onstage. Do we really think that when Jon Stewart was doing standup in the ’80s and ’90s he was doing the Emmy-winning material he’s doing now? They are stupid, unfunny, somewhat offensive jokes. From what I gathered, they aren’t a majority of his thing. If he does stupid jokes like that on The Daily Show, I will be unhappy and not watch, but it seems he’s grown as a comedian and will have better jokes than that. And of course will have writers he’s working with. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345/353 "2015-04-01T14:43:38Z")
My biggest problem with Noah is that he just doesn’t seem very funny. His jokes are all pretty lame and dull-witted. I can’t see him adjusting on the fly and offering us the sort of spontaneous insights in interviews to which we have become accustomed from Stewart and Colbert. I predict disaster. (Though I certainly hope to be proven wrong.) ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345/354 "2015-04-01T14:50:14Z")
Was Stewart really all that funny either in standup or his previous roles? I’m not sure Noah’s current funny factor tells us much about how good he’ll be as host of the Daily Show. IT’s not a laugh out loud hilarity-fest anyway IMO. It’s more of an insightful show with a few chuckles. Think of it like Al Franken’s book The Truth(With Jokes). The Truth is first, the Jokes are just the icing on the cake. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345/355 "2015-04-01T14:51:54Z")
> [@2ManyTacos](#): > > Yup, pretty good pick, but damn, I was really pulling for Jessica Williams. Ah well… I find Jessica Williams to only be OK. > [@adaher](#): > > Was Stewart really all that funny either in standup or his previous roles? I’m not sure Noah’s current funny factor tells us much about how good he’ll be as host of the Daily Show. IT’s not a laugh out loud hilarity-fest anyway IMO. It’s more of an insightful show with a few chuckles. Think of it like Al Franken’s book The Truth(With Jokes). The Truth is first, the Jokes are just the icing on the cake. Stewart was OK. I was never a huge fan before he took over the Daily Show. I figured he’d be there 2-3 years or so. Boy, was I wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345/356 "2015-04-01T14:58:03Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Stewart was OK. I was never a huge fan before he took over the Daily Show. I figured he’d be there 2-3 years or so. Boy, was I wrong. Same here. And I thought Colbert’s schtick would run dry in about six weeks. I was wrong on both. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345/357 "2015-04-01T15:04:08Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > My biggest problem with Noah is that he just doesn’t seem very funny. His jokes are all pretty lame and dull-witted. I can’t see him adjusting on the fly and offering us the sort of spontaneous insights in interviews to which we have become accustomed from Stewart and Colbert. I predict disaster. (Though I certainly hope to be proven wrong.) I wasn’t exactly blown away by his appearances on TDS, he was funny, but seemed to be fairly green. But I’m guessing the producers have seen a lot more of his material, and done test shows with him. I don’t know if he’ll be amazing, but I would be very surprised if it was a disaster. > [@adaher](#): > > Was Stewart really all that funny either in standup or his previous roles? I’m not sure Noah’s current funny factor tells us much about how good he’ll be as host of the Daily Show. IT’s not a laugh out loud hilarity-fest anyway IMO. It’s more of an insightful show with a few chuckles. Think of it like Al Franken’s book The Truth(With Jokes). The Truth is first, the Jokes are just the icing on the cake. Right, Stewart wasn’t known as a great comic before he was on TDS. I mainly knew him from him being in the movie The Faculty, where he was fine, but it wasn’t exactly a sign of how he was going to be a big star. But also things have changed since then. Someone taking over Craig Kilborn’s show in 1999 was a news story, but a fairly minor one. But someone taking over Jon Stewart’s show now is a much bigger story, so he has much more scrutiny. I don’t remember people in 1999 thinking that Jon Stewart was a great choice or a terrible choice or whatever, because people didn’t really care as much then. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345/358 "2015-04-01T15:05:28Z")
Anyone ever see Colbert’s appearance on Whose Line Is It? That was pretty hilarious, I thought. But yeah, on the Daily Show he was just another correspondent. I’ve never actually thought any correspondents on the show have really stood out, but when they get other opportunities they seem to excel. Even guys like Rob Corrdry and Ed Helms, despite not being superstars, I still enjoy them in their movie roles. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345/359 "2015-04-01T15:12:18Z")
Patton Oswalt, obviously, had a pretty good [take](http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/04/01/396782993/patton-oswalt-tweets-in-defense-of-comedy-and-trevor-noah) on it. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345/360 "2015-04-01T15:29:53Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Patton Oswalt, obviously, had a pretty good [take](http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/04/01/396782993/patton-oswalt-tweets-in-defense-of-comedy-and-trevor-noah) on it. I like Patton Oswalt, but he could have written that joke 2 weeks ago as a jab at " political correctness". Not sure the same people would have appreciated the joke in that case. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-to-step-down-from-the-daily-show/712345.md?page=19)