‘Just F**king Talk Like a Person!’ Jon Stewart Recalls Congress Member’s Team Awkwardly Asking About Being ‘Authentic’ on Show
Jon Stewart recalled being dumbfounded by a press representative for a member of Congress asking about an authenticity “strategy” for a “successful” Daily Show appearance.
On The Weekly Show podcast, Stewart was joined Pod Save America co-hosts Jon Lovett and Jon Favreau. During a discussion on the media and authenticity, Stewart argued the “most truth” in cable news media comes out of the “green rooms.” After Favreau called for politicians to avoid pundit takes, polling, and advisors and instead speak their minds more freely rather than being simply aligned with one team or another.
“That’s such an interesting point to me and it really resonates,” Stewart responded, then recalling that in the early days of Daily Show he would invite on the “press people” for members of the Senate and House to convince them to come on the show.
According to Stewart, booking lawmaker guests was difficult and they would need to put on “panels” on the set to convince the teams representing those lawmakers that going on the satirical news show was worth it.
“They were nervous about it. So we would invite all the press people from senators’ offices and congressional people’s offices to come to the show in the afternoon. And we would do, like, a panel with them. I would talk to them and they would ask questions,” Stewart said.
He quickly came to realize the Washington, D.C. bubble he was working with. Stewart recalled one representative for a lawmaker excitedly saying they wanted a “successful appearance” on the show for their boss.
“‘What’s your advice on, on what would make a successful appearance?'” Stewart recalled being asked. “And I’d go, ‘Oh, well, you know, your boss could come on the show and tell me what they think. And then what I’ll do is, like, I’ll say what I think about what they said. And then we’ll talk about that. And they’d be like, ‘so the strategy is authenticity?'”
The comedian said he broke it down even more simply for the aide.
“No, it’s not a — I’m not telling you a strategy!” he said. “I’m saying just fucking talk like a person!”
Watch above via The Weekly Show.
