Jon Stewart's disappointing return

The former Daily Show host's new satire, Irresistible, fails to meet the moment

Chris Cooper and Steve Carell.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Focus Features, iStock)

During the darkest years of George W. Bush's presidency, when it seemed that the country was fracturing — Iraq and Afghanistan, recession and Katrina — I discovered the work of the comedian Bill Hicks. Hicks, who died at 32 of pancreatic cancer in 1994, had been a savage critic of Bush's father, among many other things, and his ferocious honesty felt restorative at a time of flimsy, lethal lies. As I listened to Hicks' old routines (little of what he said can be republished here), I couldn't help but wonder what he would have been saying if he'd lived — and think that his voice might have made a difference, however slight.

In the last four years, I've had similar thoughts about Jon Stewart, the former Daily Show host who stepped down in 2015 (and who is, it must be said, very much alive). During his 16 years as host, the Comedy Central show became a juggernaut of political satire, hitting a sweet spot of earnest outrage and playful humor that hadn't been seen before. And while there has since been no shortage of such commentary — Stewart's successor, Trevor Noah, and former Daily Show contributors John Oliver and Samantha Bee are prominent examples — it's been difficult not to wonder what Stewart, who had been so incisive for so long, makes of the country's current predicament.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Jacob Lambert

Jacob Lambert is the art director of TheWeek.com. He was previously an editor at MAD magazine, and has written and illustrated for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Weekly, and The Millions.