 by Julian Spivey
Jon Stewart left such an indelible mark during his almost two-decade stint as host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” that American satire will likely never be the same or as good ever again. Stewart’s farewell on Thursday, August 6 was a terrific way to send the veteran fake newsman, who often actually became America’s favorite and occasionally best source of news off into the television sunset. The first half of Stewart’s finale was simply a barrage of former ‘Daily Show’ correspondents returning to the show to say goodbye to Stewart. These correspondents included now famous faces like Steve Carell, Ed Helms, Olivia Munn, Rob Riggle, Rob Corddry, Larry Wilmore, John Oliver and, of course, Stephen Colbert – who’s ‘Colbert Report’ spinoff of the ‘Daily Show’ bowed in late 2015. It was truly awesome to see how many stars the ‘Daily Show’ has spawned over the last two decades and the show probably pales only in comparison to “Saturday Night Live” in terms of quantity and quality of star careers it has begun. It was also touching to see all of these memorable and famous faces return to say goodbye and thank you to Stewart. Stewart seemed incredibly touched by all of this and even got teary-eyed when Colbert made his appearance and gave what seemed to be an impromptu speech about Stewart’s importance to all of these contributor’s careers. Another highlight of Stewart’s final ‘Daily Show’ episode was his tribute to his behind the scenes staff, which he filmed in a style similar to Martin Scorsese’s classic film “GoodFellas,” which included a cameo from Scorsese blasting Stewart for continually ripping him off over the years. Stewart’s final monologue or rant (if you will) was a serious and thoughtful conversation with America and his viewers around the world about not falling for the “bullshit” that’s so rampant in this country and world. Stewart said: “The good news is this: bullshitters have gotten pretty lazy, and their work is easily detected. And looking for it is kind of a pleasant way to pass the time, like an I Spy of bullshit. So I say to you tonight, my friends, the best defense against bullshit is vigilance – so if you smell something, say something.” Stewart ended his show by thanking his family, which made him tear up once again, and threw to a performance from a fellow New Jersey boy and personal hero of his, Bruce Springsteen, who along with his E Street Band serenaded Stewart with his personal request of “Land of Hope and Dreams.” Stewart and all of the returning correspondents and his family and crew took to the ‘Daily Show’ floor to dance and sing along to a portion of Springsteen’s iconic “Born to Run.” Stewart’s final episode of “The Daily Show” was truly an epic and fitting way to send this television legend off with a bang.
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