Stewart Rips 'Bullshitocracy' in Finale

By Lloyd Grove, The Daily Beast

08 August 15

 

His nemeses joshed him, his family was there, but Jon Stewart�s cheery signoff from The Daily Show also included a resounding condemnation of �Bullshitocracy.�

on Stewart ended his 16��year reign on The Daily Show Thursday night with laughter and dancing�and, yes, a fire-and-brimstone sermon against something he called �The Bullshitocracy,� a roundup of the usual suspects and celebrity guests, a couple of dick jokes (because what would The Daily Show be without a couple of dick jokes?), and even a performance by Stewart�s idol, the New Jersey-born Bruce Springsteen.

Stewart�s generally lighthearted mood�pretty dry-eyed considering the gravity of the moment, with only a tiny threat of loss of composure when he thanked his wife, Tracey, and his kids Nate and Maggie �for teaching me what joy looks like��gave the lie to Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes�s description of the Comedy Central star as a man who �has a bitter view of the world.�

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ailes�whose right-leaning cable channel has been one of Stewart�s fatter and juicier targets all these years�conceded that the retiring fake newsman is �a brilliant comedian,� �a very nice guy,� and �a good father.�

But while protesting that the political satirist and razor-sharp media critic never drew Fox blood, and that Stewart failed in his treasured quest to �get rid of Roger Ailes��something I doubt crossed Stewart�s mind, given that Ailes has been great for business�the Fox News founder claimed that he could tell Stewart is bitter because �you see it embodied in how he�s reacting to Fox News, equating it with death.�

Yet Ailes and his cable channel went all but on unmentioned on Stewart�s valedictory program, although the top of the show featured shtick on that other momentous television event occurring Thursday night�the Fox News-orchestrated inaugural Republican presidential candidate debate.

Because Stewart�s final show aired well after the debate at 11 p.m. but was taped well before the overhyped battle between Donald Trump and nine other GOP White House wannabes�and media reporters watched a live feed of The Daily Show with an invited audience at The Nightly Show studio, a couple of blocks away on Manhattan�s West Side�Stewart and correspondents Jessica Williams, Hasan Minhaj, and Jordan Klepper had to make it up as they went along.

Just like the real pundits, presumably.

�The first Republican presidential debate wrapped up�it was incredible�and so articulate,� Stewart declared to audience laughter. �I feel something of a responsibility, nay, an obligation, to devote the entirety of our last show to our standard post-debate full-team coverage.�

�Jeb did well,� Jessica Williams pronounced, standing in front of a green screen backdrop of the Cleveland debate venue.

Scott Walker was �solid,� Minhaj enthused.

�I can�t believe Trump took out his penis so late in the debate,� Klepper analyzed�dick joke No. 1.

There followed an appearance by nearly every performer who ever was part of The Daily Show cast�literally dozens�including a prosperous-looking and full-bearded Steve Carell, Stewart�s predecessor as host Craig Kilborn (also, bearded and filled-out, and wearing what looked like an ascot and smoking jacket and adopting the creepy mien of Christopher Walken�s �The Continental�), Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, and even South African comic Trevor Noah.

The 31-year-old Noah, who debuts as the 52-year-old Stewart�s successor on September 28, came onstage for a bit of business in which he interrupted the retiring host to wield a tape measure to calculate the size of various items such as the anchor desk, the flat screen behind it�and Stewart�s crotch.

Dick joke No. 2.

The Daily Show�s former senior black correspondent, Larry Wilmore�whose Nightly Show was preempted by Thursday night�s extended farewell�showed up at the desk to complain to Stewart about being bumped.

�I have nothing else to do tonight,� he kvetched. �Black shows matter, Jon,� he added.

Even former cast member Wyatt Cenac, bearded and big-haired and looking a little like Cornel West, got a cameo appearance, in which he affected boredom and chilly apathy over Stewart�s repeated invitations to the wrap party.

Apparently all is forgiven for Cenac�s very off-message interview with podcast interrogator Marc Maron, in which he revealed that he and the Comedy Central star had some unpleasant encounters over Stewart�s alleged racial insensitivity.

Indeed, when all the former cast members were shown in a group-hug onstage, Stewart made a point of throwing his arms around Cenac and giving him a heartwarming squeeze.

And, of course, there was video featuring a cavalcade of Daily Show targets ushering Stewart to the door:

*Paul Brown, the chief executive of Arby�s restaurant chain: �Jon Stewart�it�s like a TV threw up on your face.�

*Chris Christie: �I�ll never forget you, Jon. But I will be trying.�

*Charlie Rangel: �Good riddance, smartass!�

*Hillary Clinton: �And just when I�m running for president. What a bummer.�

*Mika Brzezinski: �See ya, pipsqueak!�

*Rahm Emanuel: �What has nine and a half fingers, and won�t miss you at all. This guy.�

*John Kerry: �You know, there are a lot of things happening around the world that keep me up at night�which is why I�ve relied on you to put me to sleep.�

*John McCain (manipulating a Jon Stewart hand-puppet): �I�m Jon Stewart. I�m dumb. I�m stupid. Nyah nyah nyah. So long, jackass!�

After all that insult comedy, however, it was left to former Daily Show correspondent Colbert�over the aw-shucks protests of his host�to slather Stewart with heartfelt praise.

�We owe you, and not just for what you did for our career, by employing us to come on this tremendous show you made,� Colbert insisted. �We owe you because we learned from you. We learned from you by example how to do a show with intention, how to work with clarity, how to treat people with respect. You are infuriatingly good at your job!�

And so on and so forth.

Stewart delivered an impassioned attack on �The Bullshitocracy��that is, government and corporate obfuscation and lying that it was his mission to expose�gave a last piece of advice to his audience: �If you sniff something, say something.�

Meanwhile, he reflected on what the show has meant to him.

�I�ve been in show business a long time. I�ve worked in a lot of different atmospheres at varying levels of toxicity,� he said. �And this is the most beautiful place I�ve ever been. And I�ll never have that again. And I�ve had to come to terms with that before leaving.�