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All Episodes Talk: The Best Damn News Team


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I think Maher and Jon are fine. They have phones and probably used them. Similar to the Seth Macfarlane-Jon issue before. Seth has been on twice since their tiff with no animus. It's not Marc Maron here, Bill and Jon aren't idiots who can't converse about whatever issue they have with each other without a mic.

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I found this comment posted after an article on a Twitter fight betw Maron and Michael Ian Black:

Marc Maron is a idiot, if you remember his feud with Jon Stewart where Marron admits it was all because he become jealous of Steward growing fame after the two became friends coming up in comedy together. Even after Maron had been a dick Stewart he still try to help him out in his career till Jon said enough is enough. Now Maron keeps saying he wants to have Stewart on WTF now that Jon Steward wants nothing to do with him.

 

I don't know how true this is, but it sounds similar to what happened betw Maron and Louis CK. 

 

Here's info about the Family Guy joke. Honestly, I don't get why Jon Stewart would get so pissed off about that. Like McFarlane said in an interview, how did Jon ever see the reference? Maybe I would have to see TDS ep where Jon says his staff is standing behind him.

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The general theme I'm understanding in relation to Maher and the rally, etc., is that some people want Jon (TDS) to be more politically proactive than he (TDS) is? Does he really have so much influence that it's a matter of "with great power, comes great responsibility"?

 

I think Jon's smart enough to understand that anything he says is going to be nothing more than catharsis for the frustrated. He's been at the helm of TDS for over fifteen years now and has seen the mood of the United States take an insane turn for the worse. I think he knows anything he says and does isn't going to have much impact. Even in moments he tries.

 

Like the Zadroga Bill. Jon was all over the Republicans for not wanting to pass the bill that would medically aid the first responders of 9/11. They finally gave in, hopefully out of shame, but not before they put add ons to make it more difficult for the first responders to collect their compensation. There's also Jim Cramer. Jon totally destroyed him in that interview about the sub prime mortgage industry that tanked the economy and how people like him turned a blind eye to the warnings. But it had no effect on Cramer as he went back doing the same shit he always did on his show. And then there's Crossfire. Jon went on the show to promote his book America, The Book, and ripped the hosts for hurting America with their daily shoutfest. CNN agreed and cancelled the show. Then, nine years later, new CNN president and world's largest maggot Jeff Zucker brought the show back on the air because, well... "FUCK JON STEWART, THAT'S WHY!!!" (Zucker's opinion, I'd assume)

 

We here in Canada have our own fake news shows. This Hour Has 22 Minutes has been a staple of CBC's prime time lineup for the past 20 years, predating the birth of TDS by about three years. One of their original hosts, Rick Mercer, left the show in 2001 and created his own weekly show The Rick Mercer Report. Both have done a great job of satirizing our politicians of all stripes in Canada. But nobody in this country expects them to carry the torch for Canadians the way some in the United States expect Jon to do.

 

The thing to remember about Jon is that he's a comedian first. And that he's always going to look at current events from the eyes of a stand up comedian. Bill Maher seems to believe he's a lot more than that, and tries to fancy himself as some sort of activist with a sense of humor attempting to change things, like his Flip A District campaign or when he promoted his giving a million dollars of his own money to Obama's re-election campaign. Bill seems to take himself a wee bit too seriously.

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And Marc Maron? I can't view any videos at the moment, but I looked up their names and there is some history there, too?

 

Here's an interview with Maron that goes into more detail and has a few anecdotes. @peeayebee got the general gist of it.  Basically, Maron has always been an incredibly petty and jealous guy and was an ass to most his contemporaries back in the day (Jon, Louis CK and a few others). His podcast basically let him do an apology tour and interview and apologize and talk to people he's offended over the years. Jon refused to do one because Maron treated him like extra shit but offered to go out to coffee and talk things over if Maron wanted to.  Maron just wanted to do an apology podcast and not talk to Jon otherwise (at least that's what he's made it out to seem like).  IMO, if you can't apologize without a mic and publicity, then you're not really apologizing because you're sorry of what you did, you're doing it because it'll benefit you in some other way.  That's not an apology.

 

Honestly, I don't get why Jon Stewart would get so pissed off about that. Like McFarlane said in an interview, how did Jon ever see the reference? Maybe I would have to see TDS ep where Jon says his staff is standing behind him.

 

I mean, they did call Jon "our most important Jew" so at least they're starting from a point of respect to begin with.  I'm going to assume that someone in the writers room of Family Guy let it out and word got to Jon. 

 

Both have done a great job of satirizing our politicians of all stripes in Canada. But nobody in this country expects them to carry the torch for Canadians the way some in the United States expect Jon to do.

 

I've been reading some news coming from Canada. You guys definitely need a satirist to cover all that shit. PS Canadians, I think you're doing something wrong if you can't see the TDS vidoes on the TDS website. PM me.

Edited by maculae
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Thank you for the links and explanations, peeayebee, Victor the Crab, and maculae! That Family Guy joke is so vague. I wonder what else may be behind it, that set Jon off. So, Maron may or may not be genuine in his apology, but he mostly sees an opportunity to capitalize on the publicity of the whole thing? If they used to be friends, I hope they are able to work it out somehow, either over coffee or on the podcast.

 

Speaking of coffee, I saw an ad for Seinfeld's show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, and Jon's going to be in it this season! I'm not sure of the date. I recently saw a few episodes of the show, and, as someone who knows next to nothing about most comedians or the history of comedy in the States, it was pretty interesting. Louis C.K.'s was the best (if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it!), but I enjoyed some of the others too, including Leno's. I'm excited about Jon's episode; it will be neat to see him outside of the show.

 

Both have done a great job of satirizing our politicians of all stripes in Canada. But nobody in this country expects them to carry the torch for Canadians the way some in the United States expect Jon to do.

The thing to remember about Jon is that he's a comedian first. And that he's always going to look at current events from the eyes of a stand up comedian.

 

I watched Jon's interview with Chris Wallace, and Wallace was trying so hard to get Jon to say that he's a political player or that he's intentionally trying to direct his viewers to feel this or that way about various issues, and Jon asked him something like, "What am I doing that's so different [from comedians who came before]?" It must be frustrating for him to handle the same weight of political expectations from people who agree with him ideologically (like Maher) as well as people who disagree with him and want to use that to discredit Obama, Democrats, and liberals in general. (I hope my connection's better tomorrow; I really want to watch that Maddow interview.)

 

There was an interesting video I saw a few months ago on the role of the court jester, titled "Punchlines for Progress" and made for a master's degree. (It's how I was introduced to Stephen's incredible speech at the White House Correspondent's Dinner.) Anyway, I was interested because the video's opening question asked how Jon became one of the most trusted men in America, and then it went back a few decades to trace the civil rights movement, Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, and so forth. I thought it would give me more information specifically about Jon, but it ended up being fascinating in its own right. That said, it was sort of an odd experience to watch because the context showed the importance of the role but not necessarily the importance of the actor in the role, basically arguing for Jon's importance and power by showing that he's not doing anything new or unique in the history of (American) comedy. When you mentioned This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Victor the Crab, and how Canada doesn't make the same expectations of Mercer as America does of Jon, it reminded me of this video. It made me wonder (and maybe with John Oliver's show taking off, I've gotten an answer), if Jon stepped down and someone else took over, would they be faced with the same political expectations, or is this something specific to Jon because of things he's personally said or done (on Crossfire or at the rally, etc.)? It was interesting to see that some people who think Jon is finished or irrelevant because John is doing so well specifically cited John's call-to-arms activism as a sign of greater relevance. Maybe John's taking up that torch that Jon never intended to hold? (I'm not that certain John wants it, either, though.)

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Speaking of coffee, I saw an ad for Seinfeld's show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, and Jon's going to be in it this season! I'm not sure of the date. I recently saw a few episodes of the show, and, as someone who knows next to nothing about most comedians or the history of comedy in the States, it was pretty interesting. Louis C.K.'s was the best

 

I really enjoy this show, too. Louis CK's was really good. Another one I loved (out of many) was Brian Regan. I hadn't heard of him before, but since seeing him on this show, I checked out his act online. I would love to see him live.

 

New eps debut on Thursdays. I could be wrong, but I think the next one is Aziz Ansari, then Jon is on the one after that.

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(edited)

Thank you, stacey

 

I found this video today (just 5 minutes long). The description states that it's an excerpt from the BBC4 show Frost on Satire, from 2010. David Frost interviews Jon, Bill Maher, and Rory Bremner on the purpose or meaning of satire, and they also discuss the lines that comedy should or shouldn't cross. Jon and Maher have such different interpretations. Jon also directly addresses the question of social change and effectiveness; I was really struck by how honest his answer was.

Edited by Fremde Frau
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Best Damn News Team Evah! I just discovered Jordan Klepper and Wyatt Cenac recently participating in an episode of The Chris Gethard Show called The Night of Zero Laughs. Please tell me there is a link of footage when the two had a close proximity to each other! ( I think )

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I have a few questions about swearing on the show.  First of all, I understand why the "fucks," (and variations of) "c**********," etc., are bleeped out.  But being that the show is on basic cable and airs after 10 PM, why are "shit" and "asshole" taken out as well?  I've heard both of those words on basic cable dramas for awhile now.  

 

Also, Comedy Central airs uncensored programs after midnight.  Why isn't an uncensored version of The Daily Show aired overnight?  I can't say the swearing would add a great deal, but I tape the show anyway and sometimes the bleeping can get annoying.  

 

Some of the extended interviews are available uncensored online, but most of the segments are still bleeped.  Again, why?

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My understanding is that the rules of what is and isn't allowed are set by the network. I think there have been a few cases where "shit" has been allowed on TDS, notably once when the author of a book titled "On Bullshit" was the guest. But for the most part, my guess is that it has to do with advertising. They don't want it to seem overly controversial or obscene. I usually watch TDS and TCR during the 11 o'clock airing, and there are plenty of high profile national advertisers. If I record TDS during one of its wee-hours reruns, the ads are completely different, and quite a bit sleazier/cheaper. I agree that it's stupid. I wish they'd follow the Bugle rule -- bleep the F and C words, but allow everything else. No one blinks an eye at "shit" anymore.

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I'd suggest watching the week the show was in Washington DC.  Those are some great episodes, from the bus road trip to Jason Jones hating Washington DC it was all great, and it capped off with an interview with Obama.

 

JediKnight, thank you so much for that recommendation. During the break, I finally got around to watching that week of episodes, and you were right. They were hilarious and brilliant, and I enjoyed the interview with Obama quite a lot. I had watched Jon's speech from the rally a few months ago and loved it, but I didn't see the whole rally, so I didn't really understand the overall context of it. Watching that week of episodes helped me get a better feel for what they intended with it.

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Spotted Wyatt Cenac at tonight's (actually last night's) endless and incredibly boring Yankees game with the Rangers.  He was with Questlove, and they stayed through the 13th inning.  The announcers ID'd Questlove but didn't mention Wyatt, but I squealed "Wyatt!!!"  Questlove apparently tweeted that he had to leave because he was due on stage at 1am.  Still, it was so nice to see Wyatt on my TV again.

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NEW YORK, August 11, 2014 - For those who love "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" but hate visual stimuli, "The Daily Show" is proud to announce the "The Daily Show Podcast without Jon Stewart." Launching today, "The Daily Show Podcast without Jon Stewart" is available to stream online and to download via iTunes.

"It's hands down the funniest, most behind-the-scenes podcast you'll ever listen to with half your attention while you do other stuff," says Jon Stewart.

---

The first episode looks to be about 26 minutes long and features Jessica Williams (yay!) as well as head writer Elliott Kalan, producer Sara Taksler and writers Jo Miller and J.R. Havlan.

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I wasn't sure where to put this.
 
The Daily Show Podcast without Jon Stewart

The Daily Show Podcast without Jon Stewart takes you behind the scenes with the writers, producers and correspondents who make the show. Everyone but Jon, really. New episodes premiere every other week.


The first episode aired on August 7.

Head writer Elliott Kalan and correspondent Jessica Williams welcome producer Sara Taksler and writer Jo Miller for a conversation about mining comedy out of the issue of sexual assault on college campuses. Then, veteran Daily Show writer J.R. Havlan looks back on 18 years at the show. Finally, musically inclined listeners are invited to create their own unique covers of The Daily Show theme song using the hashtag #MyDailyShowTheme.


EDIT: Wow, look at our timing, trow! Hee!

 

EDIT 2: I found this clip about Jenna Kim Jones, the "swearing police" of The Daily Show. I love meeting the faces behind the show.

Edited by Fremde Frau
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I've waited long enough for this to happen: The premiere of JASON! This is just too good!

 

Now if only there was such a thing as Correspondent Central!

 

I'm super curious if SB's hematoma story is true.  Also, does it ever weird you out that they are married?

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I'm super curious if SB's hematoma story is true.

 

What is SB's hematoma story? We Canadians can't get any of those TDS videos so it would be much appreciated if we could get a bit of a recap of them.

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What is SB's hematoma story? We Canadians can't get any of those TDS videos so it would be much appreciated if we could get a bit of a recap of them.

 

Oh, the one weird benefit of working at a company that networks through NYC.

 

JASON! is a parody talk show -- kind of heavily mocking Ellen IMO -- with (obvs) Jason as the host and Samantha Bee as his first contractually obligated guest.  They show of clip of a piece she did on penis pumps being covered by the Affordable Care Act and at one point she holds the pump up to her cheek and it gets "stuck".  Coming back from the piece, Jason is being an idiot about it and she says that she had a hematoma from her ear to her chin for a month.

 

I did actually stop watching the video because it was awkward humour, which isn't always my favourite.  Jason and Samantha are both very hit-or-miss for me.

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I did actually stop watching the video because it was awkward humour, which isn't always my favourite.  Jason and Samantha are both very hit-or-miss for me.

Same here. I'm not really one for cringe humor, which they both seem to love and lean on. Jason's segments where he's being more or less the straight man while interviewing a variety of characters (like his series in Russia or even that gerrymandering piece) are my favorites of his. Sam has been more miss than hit for me lately in her field pieces, but I generally enjoy her in-studio segments.

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Jon isn't a perfect interviewer (I think he gets impatient sometimes, leading him to interrupt), but I have to say that whenever Jon retires, what I will miss most are his interviews. I can't think of any potential correspondent-turned-host who would or could interview the way Jon does, in that it's much less of a traditional interview and much more of a conversation. I don't mean that in terms of being friendly and loose with guests but in the sense that it is a conversation between two equal participants, rather than being structured as more of a Q&A where the interviewee talks for most of the time. That's probably a good change for some (most?) fans, but I particularly appreciate Jon's style in the serious/political interviews. (As for the celebrities, I think he is still hospitable to them, whatever his respect for their product. I generally skip over them, though, and couldn't care less whether or not he watched the movie. There are more than enough places where celebrity news & gossip are given equal weight to political and social issues.)

 

With these serious/political interviews, whoever takes over will probably do more of the standard talk show interview for people they like or feel neutral about and possibly take on a more field piece interview style for people they loathe and/or disagree with on a policy or political level. (I noticed that about John Oliver's different interview styles on LWT: Keith Alexander vs Fareed Zakaria and Pepe Julian Onziema, etc.) I'm not necessarily critiquing that style in and of itself, which creates its own valuable, satirical atmosphere that I enjoy also, but Jon's interviews give the show a very special feel that would be quite different without him. Anybody can meet him at his desk and know they will be treated with respect by Jon, if not the studio audience (which he tries to control at times). I can't think of another host or program on American TV where there is that space for genuine, civil, gotcha-free conversations between two people of viewpoints potentially as disparate as Jon and an ultra conservative guest like DeMint, Krauthammer, or Huckabee. However his guest acts, Jon seems to make an effort to hold up his end of that bargain, at least. I like that, when a guest is spouting bullshit and Jon's subtle counterpoints are whooshing over them, Jon assumes his viewers can form their own conclusions and do any follow-up research on their own. My point is that I will dearly miss his willingness to see any and all guests as human first and political actor second. I think the closest to this conversational style are Charlie Rose and Terry Gross, but the former is far more aggressive than Jon and seems to look for gotcha moments (which suits that program) and the latter seems more of the traditional interviewer as opposed to an equal participant in the conversation. Anyway, I can't imagine any correspondent handling this style of interview--much less with any and all guests as varied as Jon has had. Maybe they will prove me wrong.

 

I didn't mean to go off on a tangent and write so much, but I feel strongly about it because, as much as I enjoy the on-point monologues and field pieces, his singular craft at political interviews is why I became a fan last year. He was (is) such a breath of fresh air.

Edited by Fremde Frau
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Celebrities bring eyeballs to the show. I also think the sheer inanity of those interviews sometimes must be a relief to Jon when current events get so depressing. And I'm not sure he's much better at non-celebrity interview; I think when it's a good interview it's because he's genuinely interested in the person and/or the topic they're discussing. He just fakes interest better with non-celebs, I think.

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I wonder how much of a choice he gets, as far as individual guests go. Does anyone know? I remember back in April when Letterman announced his retirement that Jon wasn't in consideration in part because non-stop celebrity interviews would be like nails on chalkboard to him. It seems like TDS is obligated to have an interview and is part of the promotional circuit, but I wonder if he is able to be more selective when it comes to non-celebrity guests (authors, directors, scientists, activists, etc.). When he interviewed Jane Goodall, Richard Dawkins, Diane Ravitch, or Steven Brill, etc., I didn't get the sense that he was faking his interest, whereas he seemed to be really stretching himself when it came to Liam Neeson, Jude Law, or Evangeline Lilly. (On the other hand, his interview with George Takei was fantastic because it wasn't about the Shatner gossip but about Takei's experiences during the war.)

 

I guess we all read his interviews differently. I realize that I'm not the best judge of the celebrity interviews because I do skip most of them and only watch if it's a friend of his or someone I like.

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Anybody can meet him at his desk and know they will be treated with respect by Jon,

I have to disagree. Kathleen Sibelius. President Obama. And a couple of others. Very tongue in cheek, mostly, downright disrespectful at least twice that I remember.

 

 

I wonder how much of a choice he gets, as far as individual guests go

I am pretty sure that, by now, he can accept or refuse any guest he wants. The guests send their agents/publicists/managers to book time with Jon and he picks the ones he wants. He might also invite some, but I think this is a rare event

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I have to disagree. Kathleen Sibelius. President Obama. And a couple of others. Very tongue in cheek, mostly, downright disrespectful at least twice that I remember.

 

We'll have to agree to disagree, I think. I found that he was no more or less respectful of them than he's been of guests that he disagrees with, like DeMint, Yoo, or Huckabee. I didn't find him at all disrespectful during President Obama's interview. The only thing I found egregious was his after-interview comment about Sibelius "lying," but it was egregious precisely because it's not his style. People on both sides made a big deal of him laughing during the Pelosi interview, for instance, and completely ignored that one of DeMint's comments made him laugh in a similar way during that interview.

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Samantha and Jason have been around the longest, by far, than any of the other correspondents, but I don't think either one has the chops to host the show on their own or together. Jessica may be the best choice to host the show, in a substitute moment at the least. But she's just turned 25 and may still be considered green in the industry. And both Jordan and Michael are still considered "new guys" within the TDS family, and therefore probably wouldn't be considered for the hosting chair.

 

Let's face it. If Ollie were still around, Jon wouldn't be putting up a rerun for Monday's show.

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From another thread:

If you love yourself at all, you'll watch Drink Responsibly, in which Steve Carrell takes one for the team.

EDIT: I forgot to post what I found! Even Stevphen on the Clinton years. Stephen has a complete meltdown, and it is glorious! I think this is my favorite so far. How ever did Steve Carrell keep a straight face? Oh, and I found this bit on bloggers, too! Jon is so cute trying not to laugh, and Stephen is having such a blast trolling him. Perfection!

EDIT: Found it! My face hurts again from laughing!

Indeed.

 

I love when Jon and Stephen crack each other up and break character.  Thus, I also adore the pirate toss.

You are all mean and cruel, posting these clips and forcing me to spend all day laughing my ass off.

Thank you. I love you all. I'd forgotten about the "bloggers" bit. Or, I thought it was Ed Helms. Ooh, I need to look up some of his clips! And Wyatt!

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We'll have to agree to disagree, I think. I found that he was no more or less respectful of them than he's been of guests that he disagrees with, like DeMint, Yoo, or Huckabee.

 

There was an author on years ago, talking about Blackwater mercenaries. Jon was so bizarrely rude to that guy he dropped the book on the floor and didn't bother to edit or retake... or pick it up.

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I'd forgotten about that one. Didn't he apologize a few days later for that, acknowledging that he hadn't read the book prior to the interview and had acted like an ass?

I may be remembering this incorrectly (I probably am), but the thing I remember involving Blackwater was that when the guy was on, Jon just couldn't grasp why the author thought Blackwater was necessarily a bad thing. And then some time later, there was a news story involving Blackwater, and Jon's apology was more of an "I was wrong, and now I see that" kind of thing than an "I was an ass" thing.

 

Now, I've found it, and it seems to be a little of both. But mostly the being wrong thing.

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Former correspondent Aasif Mandvi has a new book out called No Land's Man and it looks like it might have some TDS content:

If you're an Indo-Muslim-British-American actor who has spent more time in bars than mosques over the past few decades, turns out it's a little tough to explain who you are or where you are from. In No Land's Man Aasif Mandvi explores this and other conundrums through stories about his family, ambition, desire, and culture that range from dealing with his brunch-obsessed father, to being a high-school-age Michael Jackson impersonator, to joining a Bible study group in order to seduce a nice Christian girl, to improbably becoming America's favorite Muslim/Indian/Arab/Brown/Doctor correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

 

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NEW CORRESPONDENT ALERT!

 

HASAN MINHAJ AND TREVOR NOAH JOIN COMEDY CENTRAL'S® "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART" AS THE NEWEST MEMBERS OF "THE BEST F*ING NEWS TEAM EVER!"

NEW YORK, October 10, 2014 - "The Best F*ing News Team Ever!" is getting bigger and bester with the Emmy® and Peabody® Award-winning "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" adding two new members to its roster with Hasan Minhaj beginning in November as a correspondent and Trevor Noah joining as a contributor in December.

 

According to the link, Minhaj is an Indian-American comedian, actor and writer, and Noah is a South African stand-up comedian who has appeared on Letterman and had his own Showtime special.

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