Jon Stewart Admits He Felt ‘Guilty’ After Heated Debate with Fetterman on Israel: ‘I Felt Bad’

Jon Stewart admitted he began to feel “bad” during a recent interview with Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) where they clashed over Israel, because the comedian couldn’t help but feel Fetterman’s “diminished ability.”

During a discussion on The Weekly Show podcast between Stewart and his producers Brittany Mehmedovic and Gillian Spear, Stewart answered viewer questions and got into the Fetterman tussle on Israel and more after being asked about the senator possibly “weaving” around issues.

“To be fair to him, he had a stroke,” Stewart said, referring to Fetterman’s 2022 stroke, which he suffered just days before his primary election. “I do think that creates processing issues. I don’t think it’s a great environment for him in long form, necessarily. I don’t want to lay all of it on that because I don’t think all of it should be laid on that, but I definitely think in…he may have a more thoughtful mode of communicating that we are not necessarily privy to, if that would be…is that the nicest way, fairest way to say it?”

“It is,” Mehmedovic confirmed.

Spear said she thought it was “too generous.”

Fetterman’s ability to speak has been affected by his stroke, but he does plenty of media appearances. Shortly after his stroke, he was using a video transcription device for interviews.

Stewart said he believes Fetterman expressed his real opinions, but may not have been up to the task of best defending them in the podcast format. Fetterman is one of Congress’ most staunch and vocal defenders of Israel’s government and its strikes on Gaza as part of its war on Hamas.

“I’m not suggesting that the opinions should not be criticized and looked at with astonishment because I do think they are his real opinions,” Stewart said. “I just think I don’t know if that was necessarily his best at defending them. That’s all I’m saying.”

Spear argued she hadn’t seen a “better” defense by Fetterman anywhere else, cracking up Stewart.

Mehmedovic wondered whether Fetterman is taking from President Donald Trump’s playbook by being more combative with the media, making Stewart concede he may have been giving Fetterman “too much credit.”

“I think it’s because in the conversation, I did get to a place where I felt bad. I know he’s a senator, I shouldn’t. There’s no amount of having that, you know — but having diminished ability, but having power not be diminished, that’s a scary place for people to be,” he said.

Spear applauded Stewart for holding “space for that kind of empathy,” but she wondered whether it was “warranted” in this situation.

Stewart agreed, comparing the situation to that of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who was hospitalized after falling and going unconscious in his home in June. He’s since only been photographed twice and he’s made no direct contact with the media or been seen on video, causing concerns among critics. According to his team, he returned home last week after being discharged from the hospital.

“And the reason it’s not warranted is the amount of power that the individual wields. It’s the same way for Mitch McConnell where you can go like, wow, that must suck to be infirmed to the point where you literally can’t be filmed, saying you’re okay and then also think to yourself, f*ck that guy for still having that much power,” Stewart said.

He added, “I feel better. Thank you for helping me work through this because I was feeling guilty.”

Watch above via The Weekly Show.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!