As Jon Stewart quits the Daily Show we look back on his best moments
- Text by Alex King
Sometimes politics is so ridiculous and depressing, you’ve got to laugh. Thankfully, for the last sixteen years we’ve had Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show to point out the absurdity of it all and bring some much needed sanity to hysterical debates on everything from Ebola to ISIS and the Ferguson protests.
Stewart is a man conservatives love to hate, but he’s skewered the hypocrisy of politicians and media on both the left and right and spoken truth to power – or truth to bullshit – to people across the political spectrum. He would be the first person to remind people he’s a comedian, not a journalist, but during his time at the helm of America’s best satirical show, he’s become one of the most trusted “news” anchors on television.
On Tuesday night, Stewart announced he’s finally stepping down from The Daily Show. “In my heart I know it is time for someone else to have [this] opportunity,” he said, visibly emotional. “This show doesn’t deserve an even slightly restless host, and neither do you. … I thank you for watching it, or hate-watching it – whatever reason you were tuning in for.”
We’ll miss you Jon. Before he finally hangs up his anchorman outfit, we looked back on Stewart’s best moments, including owning Fox News (multiple times), the Israel/Palestine debate, and we also found a hint about what he might be up to next.
On Ebola and media fear mongering
On the Ferguson protests
Compares Obama and Putin to characters from Mean Girls
Owning Fox anchor Bill O’Reilly on his own show
Speech at his own ‘Rally to Restore Sanity’
Owns CNN’s Crossfire, adversarial journalism and gets the show pulled from the air
Learns what happens when you criticise Israel
What comes next? Stewart’s directorial debut Rosewater
You might like
On the set of ‘La Bamba’, lost Latino legend Ritchie Valens’s biopic
The overnight rockstar — The Chicano rock & roll star exploded overnight in the late ’50s, but just as quickly he was gone, killed in a plane crash along with Buddy Holly. An ’80s biopic saw him immortalised on the big screen, which photographer Merrick Morton captured behind the scenes.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Louis Theroux’s ‘Manosphere’ shows men aren’t the problem, platforms are
No Ws for Good Men — The journalist’s new documentary sees him dive headfirst into the toxicities and machinations of the male influencer economy. But when young creators are monetarily incentivised to make more and more outrageous content, who really is to blame?
Written by: Emma Garland
In the 1960s, African photographers recaptured their own image
Ideas of Africa — An exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art explores the 20th century’s most important lensers, including Seydou Keïta, Malick Sidibé and Kwame Brathwaite, and their impact on challenging dominant European narratives.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Reynaldo Rivera’s intimate portrait of queer Latino love
Propiedad Privada — Growing up during the AIDS pandemic, the photographer entered a world where his love was not only taboo, but dangerous. His new monograph presents inward-looking shots made over four decades, which reclaim the power of desire.
Written by: Miss Rosen
In photos: The newsagents keeping print alive
Save the stands — With Huck 83 hitting shelves around the world, we met a few people who continue to stock print magazines, defying an enduringly tough climate for physical media and the high street.
Written by: Ella Glossop
Inside Bombay Beach, California’s ‘Rotting Riviera’
Man-made decay — The Salton Sea was created by accident after a failed attempt to divert the Colorado River in the early 20th century. Jack Burke reports from its post-apocalyptic shores, where DIY art and ecological collapse meet.
Written by: Jack Burke