Jon Stewart is back in the anchor's chair at "The Daily Show," and the part-time host is already angering viewers on both sides of America's political aisle.
On Monday's season premiere, Stewart tackled a range of hot topics, from conservative conspiracy theories about the Super Bowl, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce to his gripes with the ages of candidates, President Joe Biden, 81, and Donald Trump, 77, who seem to be headed for a rematch in the 2024 election.
The host's long-awaited return to the show after a nine-year absence was met with pushback online from audience members calling out his critiques of the Democratic establishment and Biden himself. During the episode, Stewart opened the show with "Nine months to the election, people! Woot! Woot! And the exciting part is we already know our candidates." Then a picture of both Trump and Biden appeared, "It's . . . drumroll please . . . these f*****g guys!"
In the 20-minute opening, Stewart unveiled a new segment, "Indecision 2024 American Demockracy," and then changed the segment title again to "Indecision 2024 Electile Dysfunction." Then he dove right into his critiques of both candidates' very public blunders, including the new special counsel report that has called into question Biden's memory and judgment.
Stewart poked fun at Trump's forgetfulness in legal depositions and Biden's recent press conference, in which journalists asked about his memory and were immediately shut down by the President. After, as Biden answered questions about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, he mistakenly said President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi was Mexico's president instead of Egypt's.
Stewart continued to say that the questions about the "president's fitness and acuity are legitimate, especially those at an advanced age, but Biden's opponent also seems to live at the Villages. . . So the question then becomes, what the f**k are we doing here people?"
“These two candidates, they are both similarly challenged, and it is not crazy to think that the oldest people in the history of the country to ever run for president might have some of these challenges,” he said.
Stewart even called out Democrats who think it's unfair to critique Biden for his age.
"They are the oldest people ever to run for president, breaking by only four years the record that they set the last time they ran. They're objectively old," he said.
Stewart then turned the age lens on himself, telling the camera to zoom in closer on his face. "Look at me. Look at what time hath wrought."
Nevertheless, his scathing remarks about both candidates' ages appear to have turned off some potential viewers.
Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann posted to X, "Well after nine years away, there's nothing else to say to the bothsidesist fraud Jon Stewart bashing Biden, except: Please make it another nine years."
"Wow. So you basically say because Biden is old, he is basically as bad as Trump," posted Tennessee state election commissioner Chris D. Jackson, a local Democratic party chair. "Why the F do we never learn as a country? Sorry, but I won't be watching you either."
"Stewart still has it in terms of being funny and entertaining, but the political content of this monologue is basically the New York Times op-ed page in TV form," wrote journalist Aaron Rupar. "Both sides are not in fact equally bad!"
"Jon Stewart complaining that 2024 is 'two old guys' again is like me complaining that it’s 'two white guys' again," posted journalist Stephen Robinson. "It misses the point and minimizes the stakes."
"The Daily Show" airs every weeknight at 11 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.
