What Jon Stewart’s job is

To the consternation of quite a few liberals these days, Jon Stewart — much like the New York Times — does not exist to help the Democratic Party.

Jon Stewart returned to The Daily Show last Monday after an eight-year absence, as part of his deal to host the show, one day a week only, through the election in November. 

Stewart’s return, which followed the cancellation of his Apple show just a few months earlier, has been seen by some as a godsend, and the return of a beloved constant of the past. It’s been seen by others as two institutions, Stewart himself and The Daily Show, coming back together because each was floundering without the other. 

Now that the show has debuted, the reaction I’ve seen to Stewart’s debut from quite a few people is a different one: That he was way too mean to Joe Biden, by “both sides-ing” the 2024 presidential election. 

Stewart returned in his usual style, kicking off with some Super Bowl jokes, before switching early on to the election, giving it the title “Indecision 2024: American DeMOCKracy (later, “Electile Dysfunction.”) That opening segment took up the first 20 minutes of the show.