Jon Stewart compares Russia's Putin to OJ Simpson in Nemtsov murder

Jon Stewart isn&#039;t impressed with Vladimir Putin&#039;s Boris Nemstov investigation — (Image credit: The Daily Show)

The murder of Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov, right outside the Kremlin in the heart of Moscow, has prompted a lot of speculation about what role, if any, Vladimir Putin played in the killing. Jon Stewart didn't directly point the finger at Putin on Thursday night's Daily Show, but he did laugh at the Russian president's insistence that he will personally lead the investigation into Nemtsov's murder.

"Oh good, he's vowing to find the real killer," Stewart laughed, showing a photo of OJ Simpson. "That's a promise that always inspires confidence. The only thing that could be more OJ is if Putin started stealing sports memorabilia...." which, of course, he allegedly has. Not that Stewart was done with the comparisons: Putin started out as a fairly normal guy, like Draco Malfoy in the first Harry Potter novel, he said, but after spending too many nights "in the dungeon-y parts of Hogwarts" with the bad kids, Putin has become "Lord Vladimort." Hopefully there isn't a sequel. —Peter Weber

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.

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.