Jon Stewart apologizes for not realizing just how bad Trump would be

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Jon Stewart is sorry.

On Monday, the host of “The Daily Show” offered an apology for not taking activists’ urgency around Donald Trump’s authoritarian leanings seriously enough.

“Guys, I got to tell you, I did not think he would get this authoritarian this fast, I really didn't. I'm sorry,” Stewart said. “Who could have known? Maybe if somebody out there had yelled at me on Bluesky about this, I would have known. But no one did. Except every day. In all caps.”

“How authoritarian is we?” Stewart asked and then ran through an authoritarian checklist to see how Trump measures up.

“He's attacked the free press, pulled random people off the streets, made law firms and universities bend the knee, announced Department of Justice investigations into an individual whose sole crime was suggesting that the 2020 election had been safe and well administered,” Stewart said.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/4/15/2316579/-Jon-Stewart-apologizes-for-not-realizing-just-how-bad-Trump-would-be

[mucifer]

1. I am having a hard time forgiving him for his "they both are old and suck" rant

[PatSeg]

22. Thank you, same here

I've been a great admirer of Jon Stewart for many years, but after all that god-awful ageism crap and his disrespect for President Biden, I quit watching The Daily Show probably forever. Before that, I rarely ever missed a show.

The same goes for Stephen Colbert, one of my all time favorite late night hosts. The old age jokes were constant, redundant, and rarely funny. I hope these guys are happy now. They reach millions of people and in my mind, they bear some of the responsibility for the nightmare we're experiencing now. It is lazy, uninspired, and careless writing.

I remember when comedy used to be actually funny.

[W_HAMILTON]

2. Too late. He showed his true colors when we needed people like him the most.

[Lovie777]

3. Too late....

[Emile]

4. Stewart is smart enough to know better.

I don't buy it.

[Cha]

5. YA THINK! Everyone who cares about our Country/PLanet..

Should Read DU. Then you would Get A CLUE!

"Get This authoritarian this FAST... " So how long was Stewart giving the Treasonous Fraud.?

Did he not see Jan6? So busy slamming Pres Biden.

[William769]

6. It's funny because it's true, it's also sad because it's true.

[Intractable]

7. I thought that the his final year as a regular host of the daily show was a boring wasteland.

I stopped watching him mid-season.

There was no need to bring him back.

[Srkdqltr]

8. Is he saying... Except every day. IN ALL CAPS

[Rebl2]

9. Jon Stewart

This little old lady sitting in a suburb of KCMO knew! How could you NOT SEE it in his first administration and then everything he said while he campaigned last year. Remember what Maya Angelou said, something to the effect, when someone tells you who they are the first time, believe them, or believe what they tell you.

[Sewa]

10. Apology not accepted

HTF could he not see what was coming if Trump was re-elected? I’m just a person of average intelligence and I saw it coming.

I’ve been a fan and supporter of Jon Steward for many years. This tells me that Jon is living in his little rich celeb bubble and is out of touch with reality. 🤮😡💀

[badhair77]

11. I'm not impressed.

He pissed me off with his constant “Biden is old” and “Let’s rip the Dems” routine. He has miles to go before I’ll forgive. I do love Jordan Klepper, tho.

[PatSeg]

23. You know, I find it interesting that

some of these TV personalities started to get really obnoxious about the whole "old age" thing at a time when they are becoming senior citizens - Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, and Bill Maher come to mind, all in their sixties now.

Right about now, I've given up on quite a few of my favorite television comedians.

[robbob]

12. Umm...was there an apology? I seem to have missed it

Could not bring myself to watch the whole thing. Making lame jokes while democracy burns is not my idea of entertainment, but I did watch the section the quotes were pulled from, both before and after, and I did not see him referencing anything he did that he is now apologizing for. “I did not see him getting this authoritarian this fast…” is most definitely NOT an apology.

[Dave says]

18. So how much was long enough, Jon?

Sort of an apology not accepted

[ms liberty]

13. I am so tired of screaming "we all told you this would happen" at people every day

The screaming is in my head, I'm controlling my outward behavior!

[SunSeeker]

14. Jon actually said "we'll be alright"..."no matter who wins."

I'll never forget it. It was his first show back from his long hiatus. Over his left should was a picture of Biden and Trump. He said in exasperation, "I can't believe this is our choice."

Then after mocking Trump and Biden equally, he said that no matter what happens, no matter who wins, "we'll be alright."

The both sides bullshit infuriated me. He basically told his millions of viewers that their vote didn't matter and they could stay home, that they would be alright regardless.

Trump couldn't have had a better helper that night.

Fuck you Jon.

[UTUSN]

15. My personal *MEH* to him (what IS he, 3rdWay/NoLabels? )

[BOSSHOG]

16. Yeah Stewart, you're fucking brilliant aren't you?

Ain’t it time for you to draw your social security? Strange how dumb fucks like me knew exactly how bad he would be. I got eyes and ears. But you’re one of those brilliant media guys.

[Skittles]

17. I do appreciate that

because I was astounded how naive he was

[czarjak]

19. You'll be fine.

Either way? Thanks for nuttin'. Maher, now you.

[cab67]

24. Stewart, at least, knows the rule of holes.

He's stopped digging and is trying to get himself out. Maher just keeps getting bigger and bigger shovels.

[FSogol]

20. Like an abusive husband. I've changed, please come back!

[PortTack]

21. It's never too late to start shouting from the roof tops...ppl listen to you Mr. Stewart

[soldierant]

25. More of a no-pology

[ananda]

26. Really? Authoritarian is OK, just not fast?

!@#$%

[Mblaze]

27. It all shows on Trump's

Ugly fucking face.

[JT45242]

28. If for nothing other than burn puts and 9/11 cancer victims he should have been all out against the felon

Those are the two issues (other than his own wealth and fame) that clearly matter to Jon Stewart.

On neither of those did the Democrats, either Biden or Harris, suck. Period. Full stop.

He cares about veterans and first responders.

One calls them fools and suckers and thinks what's in in it for them. Or TBH, how can I rip off these marks.

The other side, wasn't just pro-democracy they were pro his issues. Biden had a son die of what was likely a burn pit related cancer. His other son went into a drug induced tail spin in response. Biden fought for veterans in Congress and the White House. He was reforming the Veterans Administration and properly funding it. But yeah...he was old.

But he didn't suck. Objectively, Biden led the best recovery from the pandemic of any industrialized country, despite inheriting one with one of the worst per capital death tolls because of the felon mishandling the pandemic in no small part because masks messed up his makeup.

I also will not forgive Stewart for his hypocrisy and baseless bothsiderisms -- because he did so at jeopardy to the one good thing he had worked for -- veterans and first responders. Just to get ratings.

[betsuni]

33. Yes!

[Bread and Circuses]

29. Nope ! Not Buying His Apologies....... And

No apologies, excuses or ah shucks! From any republican voter.

You Knew, Always Knew, You signed up to watch others suffer.

Don’t come to me .

[The Third Doctor]

30. He knew better

More of the perfect is the enemy of the good shit.

[not fooled]

31. His protestations would have more credibility

if the pukes hadn't SPELLED IT ALL OUT in Project 2025, which clearly red don would implement.

I gave up on both him and Colbert years ago when they held some sort of "both sides are bad" comedy event. The evil intent of the GQPee has been evident for decades. Now that it's reaching end stage fulfillment, they are suddenly horrified?

[Meowmee]

32. "Is it too late now to say sorry... "

Yes, fu everyone!

[RandiFan1290]

34. Typical 'centrist' snark.

He doesn't give a shit as long as he gets his tax cuts and Israel continues their genocide against the Palestinian people.

It's not funny anymore.

[Paladin]

35. Too little, too late.

On the other hand: Stewart's apology is a damn sight more than we'll ever see out of the mainstream media (NY Times, et al), for the hatchet job they did on the Harris/Walz campaign.

[SocialDemocrat61]

39. And Joe Biden

[ihaveaquestion]

36. Considering everything that's happening to my country, I'm not really in a forgiving mood right now.

Catch me later when we get our country back, say, in about a decade or so.

[Johonny]

37. Bothsiderism not as fun when one side has all the power

And concentration camps. Oops.

[SocialDemocrat61]

38. Stewart is a smug entitled elitist

Has been for years and cowardly hides behind the “I’m just a comedian” excuse. He thinks he’s always the smartest person in any room that he’s in. The truth is he isn’t.

[They_Live]

40. No longer funny.

The laughs gave me chills.

[standingtall]

41. I will not believe that's apology until Stewart comes out and says

He shouldn't have relentlessly mocked Biden age. Honestly Stewart probably did more damage then Fox news or any right wing media outlet, because most of Stewart's audience are Liberals and Progressives. Yet he relentlessly mocked the age of a sitting President in the face of a fascist threat in Trump. Doesn't matter if he sometimes mocked Trumps age too, because Trump supporters didn't care about his age and any fool could see it resorting to ageism only helped Trump and Stewart's ageism also help to kill Democratic enthusiasm. I do remember a clip of Trevor Noah saying "We treated Biden like shit" which seems to put him at odds with Stewart on the ageism.

[senseandsensibility]

42. This is obviously tongue in cheek "humor"

using sarcasm but although I recognize that, and agree with its premise, I also see that he is using that to reach out to his viewers who also may have been misguided. Still, even if they honestly were misled or mistaken, even a "little" authoritarianism is too much. So if that's part of the humor, I'm not feeling it.

[La Coliniere]

43. I've always been suspect of Mr. Stewart since 2010

when he hosted the Rally to Restore Sanity in D.C. along with Stephan Colbert. They both bitched about both-sides bullshit and advocated that we need to understand each other, blah, blah, blah. Both of those guys helped to damage Biden’s chances of winning a second term with their relentless slamming of and joking about Biden’s age and ineffectiveness. I don’t watch either one anymore. Where is their integrity?

[Trueblue Texan]

44. No excuses!

If everyday citizens could see the writing on the wall, why can’t trained journalists? WTF is wrong with them. Why do they stay in denial so long? They are as bad as MAGA, so devoted to their own blind, willful ignorance.

[mcar]

45. Fck him for the way he went after Biden

[betsuni]

46. A so-so sorry.

"Throughout his tenure at the Daily Show, Stewart hammered one basic note: that our political and media establishment were feeble and corrupt. Trump hit the same note at every one of his rallies. It was the most convincing aspect of his appeal." --- Steve Almond

And now rallies attendants say they went to for hope. Only those who have plans and solutions can give hope, not the same note of everything and everyone is corrupt (including the Democratic Party, accused of being greedy elites corrupted by billionaires and oligarchs -- not a word of encouraging voting for Democrats).

I guess people really like to be angry without hope waiting for the savior.

[republianmushroom]

47. Have but 2 words for you, Jon.

Screw you.

[mucholderthandirt]

48. Fuck Jon Stewart. Upside down and sideways. He knew. Or he's so stupid,

he needs to be off TV and in some kind of mental health place.

He's just worried he won't have a job much longer. Probably thinks we'll ask nicely for him to be kept on. LOL Not me, maybe some of you would.