Jon Stewart says 'authoritarianism' greatest threat to comedy

Comedian Jon Stewart defended the role of comedy and truth in his acceptance speech for the 2022 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, one of comedy’s top honors, on Sunday evening.

“There’s a lot of talk right now about what’s going to happen in comedy. You know, there was the slap…” Stewart said, referring to the infamous incident between Will Smith and Chris Rock at this years Oscars.

“But it’s not the fragility of audiences,” said Stewart referring to the threat to comedy, “it’s the leaders. It’s not the Fresh Prince, it’s the crown prince.”

“Comedy is the bellwether, we’re the banana peel in the coal mine,” he continued. Authoritarianism is the threat to art, theater, poetry…. What we have is fragile and precious, and the way to guard against it isn’t to change how audiences think, but to change how leaders lead.”

Stewart is the 23rd person to receive the price and the first in over two years due to the coronavirus pandemic. He rose to prominence as the host of The Daily Show on Comedy Network from 1999 to 2015, which he chose to focus on satirizing politics and the media.

Since stepping down, the comedian has become one of the nation’s leading campaigners for 9/11 first responders and veterans, fighting for compensation for health issues that developed in service. Stewart is currently advocating for the passage of a bill that ensures veterans who got sick after being exposed to toxic “burn pits” while serving in the Middle East are fairly compensated.

The red carpet at the event at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. saw mix of Stewart’s comedian peers, like Dave Chappelle and Jimmy Kimmel, and national politicians, such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

The Daily Show alum Olivia Munn praised Stewart’s cultural influence, saying he “changed the way my generation saw the news and public policy.”

Presidential biographer Jon Meacham described him as “a comedian with a conscience.”

“Night after night you’ve given a divided America a chance to get its moral bearings,” Meacham said in his speech. “Most comedians make jokes, but Jon, you make a difference.”