Jon Stewart's 'Daily Show' Return Sparks Backlash From Viewers

Jon Stewart returned to the Daily Show on Monday night after a nine-year hiatus but not everyone is happy about seeing him back.

The comedian, who began hosting the satirical news show in 1999 and left in 2015, is presenting the show again on a part-time basis through the 2024 election season. His return follows Trevor Noah's departure in December 2022 and comes amid the series' unsuccessful search for a new permanent host.

Within three minutes of his return, Stewart took aim at President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, mocking both 2024 presidential contenders for gaffes seemingly related to their ages.

He delved further into the debate on whether either man is fit to serve and called the upcoming presidential election "Indecision 2024: Electile Dysfunction."

Stewart discussed both Biden and Trump's pitfalls, criticizing Biden over his handling of the DOJ report that questioned his mental competency before adding: "Trump regularly says things at rallies that would warrant a wellness check."

Not everyone was impressed and a number took to X, formerly Twitter, to vent their frustrations. Some people took issue with Stewart being even-handed when he spoke about the two men, as many thought they were not comparable.

Newsweek contacted Stewart's publicist for comment via email Tuesday.

"Jon Stewart complaining that 2024 is 'two old guys' again is like me complaining that it's 'two white guys' again. It misses the point and minimizes the stakes," one person said.

"Hey Jon Stewart, the one old guy is pro-Democracy and the other old guy is literally a f****** FASCIST!! We're seriously going to 2016 both sides this s*** again?! WTF is wrong with you?! JFC!! #TheDailyShow is a fascist-enabling s*** show!!" said another viewer.

"Jon Stewart still has it in terms of being funny and entertaining but the political content of this monologue is basically the New York Times op-ed page in TV form. Both sides are not in fact equally bad!" someone else wrote.

"So is Jon Stewart back on The Daily Show to repeatedly state how old Joe Biden is? Is there anywhere we can go to escape this f****** s***?," another X user asked.

A fifth person added: "Well after nine years away, there's nothing else to say to the bothsidesist fraud Jon Stewart bashing Biden, except: Please make it another nine years."

Other viewers were pleased to see Stewart back and took to X to share their approval.

"I like that Jon Stewart is going after President Biden in his first episode back," one person wrote. "If that means a ton of moderate voters place their trust in Stewart to speak some hard truths and he convinces them to come around against Trump in the long run, it's very much worth it."

"I was skeptical of Jon Stewart returning to the Daily Show but there's just nobody on the left who does it like this," someone else posted alongside a snippet of Monday night's show.

A third said: "Jon Stewart has been gone so long that audiences have forgotten what good faith criticism of all parties looks like. This is great. Not equating the candidates, but raising OBJECTIVELY valid critiques. It's kinda lighting my fire ... a little."

While Stewart did discuss the downsides of both men, he didn't say that Trump and Biden are equally bad choices.

"We're not suggesting that neither man is vibrant, productive, or even capable. But they are both stretching the limits of being able to handle the toughest job in the world," Stewart said. "What is crazy is thinking that we are the ones, as voters, who must silence concerns and criticisms. It is the candidates' job to assuage concerns, not the voters' job not to mention them."

While Stewart said Biden isn't Trump—who was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation among a variety of other legal issues—that doesn't mean he thinks he shouldn't be scrutinized. In fact, he said, "it actually makes him more subject to scrutiny."

Stewart concluded: "If your guy loses, bad things might happen, but the country is not over. And if your guy wins, the country is in no way saved.

"So the good news is: I'm not saying you don't have to worry about who wins the election. I'm saying you have to worry about every day before it, and every day after, forever."

Update 02/13/2024, 6:22 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.