The Daily Show is just as confused about the Rachel Dolezal race story as you are

Jon Stewart is a confused about Rachel Dolezal as you are — (Image credit: The Daily Show)

A lot of people are struggling to understand what's going on with Rachel Dolezal, the civil rights advocate in Spokane who just stepped down as regional NAACP chief after her family accused her of pretending to be black. Jon Stewart counts himself among the confounded. On Monday's Daily Show, Stewart gave Dolezal the Daily Show treatment, including a segment entitled "Whaaaaaaaaaaat?" and a head-shaking look at how the conservative punditry has turned an isolated incident into an indictment of liberalism.

But to truly hammer home the absurdity of the Dolezal story, the very white Jordan Klepper came out pretending to be the Daily Show's senior black correspondent. Finally, Jessica Williams appeared to make The Daily Show's main point: The Rachel Dolezal story is weird. "You can't just appropriate persecution because it's 'cool,'" Williams said. "If Team Black didn't pick you, you can't just suit up and run on the field.... We need allies, not replacements." There's a diss at Iggy Azalea, too. Watch below. Peter Weber

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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.