The more I watch Trevor Noah’s Daily Show, the more I appreciate Jon Stewart’s now-legendary stint as its host. I don’t mean this as a dig at Noah; he is an immensely talented comedian, and The Daily Show remains, in my opinion, the best late-night comedy program on cable television. And yet I can’t help but feel there is something missing from this new iteration of the show, something beyond the quality of its jokes.
Looking back, the success of Jon Stewart’s Daily Show had little to do with jokes but everything to do with where those jokes were directed. Stewart lampooned everyone from congressmen to small-town politicians, but the overwhelming majority of his comedic barbs were aimed at one group of people in particular: the media.
Throughout his tenure as host, Stewart made a habit of taking on media giants like Fox News and CNN. He regularly pointed out inaccuracies in their reporting, forcing accountability on a group of people — journalists — who often aren’t held accountable.
Stewart demonstrated just how important this scrutiny of the media was during the height of the Ebola scare in late 2014. On Oct. 1, 2014, ABC’s Good Morning America delivered an ominous report: “Good morning America, breaking news: Ebola in America. The first case of the deadly disease on U.S. soil, a major American city on high alert!” Stewart responded to these brief and chilling words by sardonically shouting, “Oh yeah! We’re all going to die! Kiss your ass goodbye! You’re about to bleed out of your asshole!”
Stewart’s outburst was certainly entertaining, but there was more to it than humor. His over-the-top reaction was a satirical takedown of ABC’s alarmist reporting. If you just listened to Good Morning America without any larger context, you’d think the country was on the verge of being overwhelmed by the deadly virus.
Of course, that was far from the truth. Stewart’s ridiculous exclamation was meant to remind us just how sensational and reactionary the news was being by mirroring their demagogic reporting. He kept us grounded, kept us from succumbing to the fear the media was, intentionally or not, forcing on us. If media is the fourth branch of government, an institution meant to keep the other three branches honest, then I think it’s safe to say Jon Stewart was the fifth branch of government, making sure the media stayed honest. Who watched the watchmen? Jon Stewart did.
Trevor Noah has not really filled this role Stewart left behind. In fact, Noah has explicitly said he wants to get away from the media-centric satire of Stewart’s Daily Show, and we’re seeing that. Noah’s jokes are much more focused on the news itself rather than the people reporting it. And again, it is really funny. His coverage of the 2016 presidential race and its candidates has been inspired. One particular skit, in which Ben Carson sits and calmly enjoys his KFC meal while the restaurant he’s eating in is robbed, brings a smile to my face just thinking about it. But comedy is not satire. Comedy entertains, while satire entertains and informs.
Noah is entitled to take his show in whatever direction he likes, but comedy is no rarity on television these days. Insightful satire, on the other hand? That is something we are in dire need of.
