Comedian and talk-show host Jon Stewart is no stranger to controversy and has been candid about his rivalry with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
On his comeback to “The Daily Show,” Stewart recently disclosed his feelings about Carlson by critiquing Carlson’s interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin
In a segment on the late-night show, Stewart dissected Carlson’s behavior and the content of the Putin interview, which aired earlier in February on Carlson’s website. Stewart’s critique extended beyond the interview itself to Carlson’s subsequent actions and comments during a trip to Russia.
Stewart criticized Carlson for not challenging Putin’s “wildly inaccurate claims” and for participating in what he described as a propaganda session orchestrated by the Kremlin. He highlighted Carlson’s favorable comparison of a Russian subway station to one in New York, mocking Carlson’s implication that the cleanliness and beauty of the Russian station somehow represented a superior societal model.
Stewart also mocked Carlson for his tour of a Moscow grocery store, where Carlson praised the store’s cleanliness, innovation, and prices. Stewart pointed out the absurdity of Carlson’s admiration for a shopping cart deposit system as a marker of societal responsibility, noting that such systems are also found in the U.S., such as at Aldi.
Stewart criticized Carlson’s lack of context when marveling at the lower prices in Russia, failing to mention the significantly lower average income in Russia compared to the U.S.
“See, $104 for groceries sounds like a great bargain unless you realize Russians earn less than $200 a week,” Stewart pointed out.
In addition to critiquing the interview’s content, Stewart lambasted Carlson for not pushing back against Putin’s revisionist history regarding World War II. Specifically, Stewart noted Carlson’s failure to counter Putin’s claim that Poland was responsible for starting World War II by refusing Hitler’s demands.
Stewart’s criticisms of Carlson reflect a deeper issue he perceives with Carlson’s journalistic integrity and the broader implications of his reporting. Comparisons were drawn to the historical example of Walter Duranty, a journalist who infamously covered up Soviet atrocities under Stalin, suggesting Carlson’s coverage of Russia might be similarly misleading.
The clash between Stewart and Carlson is not new but part of a rivalry that dates back two decades to Stewart’s appearance on CNN’s “Crossfire,” where he criticized the show for its contribution to political polarization. This incident led to a notable exchange between Stewart and Carlson and has been referenced in their ongoing public discourse.
Stewart’s critique of Carlson comes at a time when Stewart himself has faced backlash from Democrats for comments made about President Joe Biden in a previous episode of “The Daily Show.” Stewart defended his critique of Biden, suggesting his recent comments on Carlson were partly an effort to address criticisms from his own audience.
The segment on “The Daily Show” demonstrates Stewart’s continued commitment to critiquing media figures and political discourse, particularly when he believes they fail to uphold journalistic standards or contribute to misinformation. Stewart’s analysis of Carlson’s interview with Putin continues his long-standing effort to highlight issues of bias, propaganda, and the responsibilities of those in the media.
As a side note, Stewart’s comeback brought in high viewership numbers for Comedy Central. The Daily Show experienced a surge in its audience, with 1.85 million people tuning in. This denotes the most substantial viewership the program has seen in close to six years.