Believe it or not, there was a period of time when late-night satire news show “The Daily Show” was genuinely funny.
When the show debuted in 1996 with Craig Kilborn as host, “The Daily Show” was far less politically focused and sought to skewer the parody-worthy newscasts of the mid-’90s.
That iteration of the show was more character-driven than the news-driven version that the next host — Jon Stewart — would foster in when he took over in 1999.
Stewart captained the show from 1999 to 2015 and generally got less and less funnier with each passing year. Not coincidentally, the show also got more and more political with each year under Stewart.
When the already-liberal Stewart eventually left to pursue greener pastures (that weren’t that much greener) in 2015, “The Daily Show” fell under the stewardship of the far-left Trevor Noah and the show has become a husk of itself ever since.
Fast forward to Monday, and both Stewart and “The Daily Show” reunited, albeit with far less notoriety than when they were last together.
Stewart returned as a reoccurring host for “The Daily Show” (he will appear on Mondays only) and quickly seemed to slip into his former groove.
To the surprise of nobody, Stewart took his expected potshots at former President Donald Trump — the man almost assured to be the GOP presidential candidate come the general election — in his ballyhooed Monday night return.
That, in and of itself, isn’t newsworthy.
What is a bit newsworthy is that Stewart unloaded some similar venom on incumbent President Joe Biden.
WARNING: The following clip contains dialogue that some viewers may find offensive.
Jon Stewart kicks off The Daily Show’s election coverage with a wellness check on America’s two chronologically challenged candidates: Joe Biden and Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/RPmFodvVAy
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) February 13, 2024
“These two candidates, they are both similarly challenged,” Stewart said about Biden and Trump. “And it is not crazy to think that the oldest people in the history of the country to ever run for president might have some of these challenges.
“Now Democrats will say that any criticism like this, especially to Biden, is unfair because you just don’t know Biden like they know Biden.”
Stewart’s monologue then gave way to a series of clips showcasing a number of prominent Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris, offering impassioned defenses of Biden’s wherewithal.
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The returning “Daily Show” host had a simple question for all of these defenses: “Did anyone film that? Because if you’re telling us behind the scenes he’s sharp and full of energy, and on top of it, and really in control and leading… You should film that.
“That would be good to show to people.”
Stewart took his tirade to the usual places, mostly complaining about the collective age of Trump and Biden, but the fact that he was so willing to throw Biden’s (lack of) energy, sharpness and clarity under the bus so specifically was a tad bit jarring.
In fairness to Stewart, despite being a classic liberal — and fringe leftist — he has come around on a few, select topics, so perhaps Biden’s age issues will be another similar topic.
That being said, it will always be jarring to see anyone, but especially leftists and liberals, spend as much time skewering Biden as much as they’re skewering Trump.
