Jon Stewart Moves Beyond Boomer/Gen-X Comedy by Calling Out Biden's Gaza Response

When Jon Stewart reclaimed his seat behind the The Daily Show desk in February, his once-a-week return was met with widespread excitement from those eager to recapture the magic of his original tenure, from 1999 to 2015. Writing for the Guardian, Charles Bramesco praised Stewart's "honest, critical, sane" political perspective, while LateNighter editor-at-large Bill Carter proclaimed that his Monday appearances have "re-introduced appointment viewing to late night." Showtime/MTV Entertainment boss Chris McCarthy even went so far as to hail Stewart as "the voice of our generation," describing him as "the perfect person to puncture the empty rhetoric and provide much-needed clarity with his brilliant wit."

The obvious question, as critics including Melanie McFarland and Judy Berman have pointed out, is, "Which generation?" Late-night legend or not, Stewart's comedy comes from a distinctly white, male, Boomer/Gen-X perspective, a perception that's solidified in recent years as he ranted about the COVID lab leak theory and defended controversial podcaster Joe Rogan. Though Stewart has brought more viewers to The Daily Show (his first episode drew the show's highest ratings since 2018), his cohort represents the bulk of late-night TV viewers overall; essentially, he's preaching to the choir, even if a faction of that choir sometimes accuses him of engaging in "bothsidesism" when it comes to Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

Stewart's willingness to criticize both Democrats and Republicans is nothing new, but in his two months back on Comedy Central, he's kept that criticism within familiar bounds, making jokes about Biden's age and Trump's legal woes in equal measure. This week, though, marked a meaningful departure for the late-night host, who spent a portion of his April 8 show condemning America's support for Israel's war on Gaza.

After devoting a few minutes to Monday's solar eclipse, Stewart pivoted to a "wellness check" on the conflict in Israel-Palestine, which reached the six-month mark on Sunday. "As the war has grinded on, justice is beginning to seem more like cruelty," he said. "But not to worry: America, the shining city on a hill, is on the case with our universal values."

With that, The Daily Show segued into a montage of the Biden administration's conflicting reactions to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Israel's bombardment of Gaza. While Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said it's "unconscionable" that Russia is "weaponizing food" in Ukraine, officials have failed to muster up the same outrage for "the literal famine in Gaza caused by the war," said Stewart; instead, they've expressed "concern" about the situation, and nothing else.

Stewart went on to call out the administration's hypocrisy about the "repression of a free press" in both war zones, as well as "the bedrock rule of international law: No taking land by force."

"Why do we tiptoe around on eggshells?!" Stewart asked of the United States' mealy-mouthed approach to Israel's acts of aggression. "They slap America in the face, and our response is, 'Well, if anyone slapped America in the face, it'd be concerning, that's for sure.'"

"The verbal gymnastics that the American government must undertake so as not to offend the delicate sensibilities of a country we provide most of the weapons for, is..." he trailed off, letting out a frustrated yell. "Every time America tells the world that there’s something we won't allow, Israel seems to say, 'Challenge accepted.'"

Stewart ended the segment with a supercut of national security communications advisor John Kirby "urging our Israeli counterparts to act with as much precision as they can in their targeting" of Hamas operatives. Clearly, American calls for a "mindful" bombing campaign (as if that were even a possibility) have been ignored: In just six months, nearly 33,000 people, including 13,000 children, have been killed in Gaza. "To be mindful? What is this, f*cking hot yoga?" asked Stewart. "We've seen the bombing, and we are urging Netanyahu to be present."

"The subtext of all this is, America knows this is wrong, but apparently doesn't seem to have the courage to say it in a straightforward manner," he continued. "Real friends take the f*cking keys. Because friends don't let friends... bomb that much."

The impassioned monologue has already found a larger audience. The video has amassed over 2 million views on YouTube in less than 24 hours, and the segment has been shared widely on social media. On TikTok, users have flooded the comments with praise for Stewart, hailing him as a "legend" for exposing America's "double standard" on Israel. While some commenters wish The Daily Show host would've gone further, it's evident that the segment is resonating with younger users, the vast majority of whom likely wouldn't have encountered it in the wild on Comedy Central.

Stewart is under no obligation to pump out content that appeals to younger viewers (and he likely won't continue to do so), but the strong reaction to his pro-Gaza message indicates that he's still capable of connecting with them. The Daily Show host will never be the voice of Generation Z, but by straying from his typical Boomer/Gen-X perspective, he has the potential to win over a demographic that may otherwise have written him off as an Old.

The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11:00 PM ET on Comedy Central. Join the discussion about the show in our forums.

Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.