Jon Stewart is back in the news, having taken a three month sabbatical from The Daily Show in order to direct a movie entitled “Rosewater”. The whole interlude reflects in many ways the very essence of Stewart. The film is based on the novel, “They Came For Me: A Family’s Story of Love, Captivity and Survival”, by Maziar Bahari. Before everyone says who and why, let Jay H. Ell explain. Bahari was a little known Iranian commentator and still is not much more than that. He was a supporter of the Green Movement, and was featured on The Daily Show. Stewart relates Bahari’s saga in his venture into cinematography. “Rosewater” was featured at the Toronto film festival on September 8, and has received mixed reviews from being hailed as "Oscar nomination material" to being a “clumsy but earnest directional debut”. It is due to be released on the general circuit on November 7 and Stewart’s following alone will ensure a sizable audience.
Briefly the storyline runs as follows. After Bahari’s appearance on Stewart’s program he was arrested and his “subversion” on the Daily Show interview was played to him as proof of him being a traitor to the Iranian Islamic Republic. He was interned for a 120 days in Iran’s infamous Ervin prison before being released and is currently residing in London. Stewart hawked Bahari’s story to anyone that mattered, in order to have it made into a movie, with no success. He thus felt obliged to proceed himself into the celluloid world, obviously feeling some responsibility for Bahari’s plight. As Stewart explained to “The Hollywood Reporter” he has no intention of pursuing a career in filmmaking so this is it.
This whole interlude makes this as good a time as any to reassess Jon Stewart’s proficiency at his craft and his raison d’être in society generally.
RECOGNITION OF STEWART’S TOTAL DOMINATION OF HIS MEDIUM
Jon Stewart of The Daily Show has influenced the nightly television scene in so many dimensions, that it is difficult to comprehend his achievements in the here and now. It is akin to assessing Roger Federer during his playing career in terms of the history of tennis. Or a Walter Cronkite while he was anchoring the news at CBS. Or as the New York Times labelled him, as a result of his political influence and integrity, the modern equivalent of the icon of journalism, Edward R. Murrow. In 2008 the same prestigious newspaper asked whether he was “The most trusted man in America”.
He has so totally dominated the television category entitled, “Variety, Music or Comedy Series” that he has been nominated for 50 Emmy awards, in 15 years, The Emmy awards adjudge the best program in various categories of all of television. The Daily Show has won the Emmy for the most outstanding feature in this broad section ten times and in addition Stewart has had won the Emmy for the most outstanding writing performance nine times. (To put that in some perspective Johnny Carson who is considered the doyen of the Late Night Comedy genre, over a thirty year period, only garnered a total of six Emmys in an era where there were a fraction of the channels that currently operate).There have been book awards, even a Grammy for an audio. Stewart has achieved all this in addition to prestigious Peabody awards and endless other honors not the least of which was, “The Most Influential Man of 2010”, by AskMen.Com.
LARGEST AUDIENCE WITH KEY RATINGS
But Stewart is not just a pretty satirist journalistic face only recognized by the cognoscenti, his program has the highest ratings of any of the now legion of late night comics which have become the only compulsory viewing for the all important millennial demographic. The latter are critical not only to the political process but financially. The millennials are the only demographic advertisers are interested in. They are the group with the most disposable income. Their significance was illustrated when the long time respected Ted Koppel and his widely followed “Night LIne”, that was an institution for decades and had the highest general rating but the lowest among the eighteen to thirty - five year numerical, was axed.
So to a large extent Stewart’s success is twofold. Not only is his show the most honored it has among it’s audience the highest number of viewers that attract advertisers. And as Jay H. Ell has repeatedly blogged it is all about selling soap. Not quite soap in Stewart’s instance but Jay H. Ell is sure you get the gist. This fact should not detract from his achievements, as his following is across the board. Not only that but there are clips from his show that are interspersed on so many programs that extend his influence further and further. The key demographic maintain that The Daily Show is where they get their news from. So it came as no surprise that Comedy Central renewed Stewart’s contract for between $25 and $35 million a year. Not only is The Daily Show a money spinner in its own right it is the lynch pin of Comedy Central’s night programming. The shows around it benefit as well.
“POLITICAL” INFLUENCE
Stewart politically is fiercely independent, (he even voted for Bush 41, regarding him as a decent fellow). He leans towards a liberal approach but is mainly against cant and hypocrisy. He is in favor of the underdog, the downtrodden and oppressed. He is unafraid to take anyone on. He is not disrespectful to those who he is interviewing but will not give an inch just because of civility. His interview with Chris Christie was a model of respect, intellect and at the end of the day exposing a major hypocrisy in Republican philosophy, (Blog: Jon Stewart, Chris Christie and Republican Philosophy). Here he challenged Christie as to why he didn’t follow his own mantra and allow the private sector to finance the reconstruction of the Katrina disaster. The now troubled New Jersey Governor responded that Katrina affected everyone. Stewart contrasted that with Christie’s position that on that very same day he rejected Obamacare when health affected everyone as well.
Stewart handles the most delicate issues in a tasteful matter even when being at his most satirical best. This included programs on the Sandy Hollow shooting and 9/11.
WHAT MAKES IT ALL WORK
What is the unique formula that does this all night after night, Monday to Thursday? The show is so much Jon Stewart and it so much not about him himself. First he does his schtick just a few minutes on the issues du jour with his hilarious interpretations always tinged with a message. The format then follows with news or dialogues with or by his talented fake correspondents interviewing and or pontificating farcically on the days events and issues generally. More than often Jon is feeding them the lines and playing second fiddle as they display their skills and comedy. The half hour show ends with an interview with someone or other which can go in any direction. In that section his brilliant ad libbing comes to the fore.
Always when on stage with someone else he never tries to steal the limelight. He is generous in sharing the glow that he has created to all and sundry. What strikes everyone is the incredible talent that he has gathered around him. He in no way is threatened and is supportive of their skills. When Colbert left for the Colbert Show, the latter was featured immediately after Stewart’s own. For weeks he ushered him in with dialogue ensuring, as much as possible, that The Daily Show viewers would stay on and watch Colbert.
From a political and philosophical point of view, in case anyone has missed it, all these spin off’s invariably to a lesser or greater extent perpetuate the Stewart approach exposing double standards, duplicity and supporting the underdog, so his influence extends exponentially. Yet everyone who is anyone wants to be on his show. This includes Republicans such as McCain, Krauthammer, and Condi Rice. Obama and Hillary Clinton have been the interviewees on several occasions. But whoever it is and he certainly sometimes comes up with the oddest nonentities they are treated with respect and humility even if the occasional guest is exposed as a hypocrite or phony.
Political clashes:
Even when debating politically he does so with deference. His main target Bill O’Reilly of Fox News has the utmost regard for him and they have even done live shows together. There is only one occasion that Jon Stewart came close to losing it and that was with his encounters with Tucker Colson of CNN Crossfire fame. After the Stewart - Carlson contretemps CNN dropped Crossfire and a spokesperson was quoted as maintaining that the Daily Show’s host had a point about the show’s ranting and inanity. He also had a run in with Jim Kramer of Mad Money whom he berated for his self confessed unashamed manipulation of the market as a hedge fund manager. Kramer did not disagree with him for one moment and argued he was now on the investors’ side. He had a healthy disrespect for Larry King well before the latter sanctimoniously inferred that he, Stewart, had made it as he was being interviewed on his show. Stewart utilized that occasion to reiterate his belief that the legitimate news media were not fulfilling their professional responsibility by pandering to viewership.
There has also been some controversy of late of Stewart, a self professing jew, on his Israeli position. It is really his fame that has even made this a bone of contention as his policy has been an open book for years. While obviously supporting Israel’s right to Statehood he has noted on more than one occasion that Israel’s internal policies are not above criticism. He once even ran a particularly volatile exchange in the Israeli Knesset where the Government of the day’s policies were being torn to shreds. He wryly commented that apparently only Israelis are allowed to criticize their government. He recently ran a short segment with all his correspondents shouting at him from all viewpoints on his Israeli policy, one screaming, “You self hating Jew”. As he remarked later he has enough reasons to hate himself but being a jew wasn’t one of them. He lambastes American policy daily but no one labels him anti - American he added.
In sum his honest, congruent, generous, caring, humble and empathetic nature shines through night after night.
THE ULTIMATE PARAMETER OF SUCESS
The hallmark of an academic is the number of your proteges that go onto make it in other institutions so surely the same must apply to Showbiz. From, Colbert, to John Oliver who themselves followed a procession of “correspondents” - Rob Corddry, Josh Gad, David Cross, Mart Walsh, Ed Helms, Steve and Nancy Carrell and Demetri Martin, all Stewart past correspondents that have been up in lights, Stewart has ensured his legacy. The current crew on The Daily Show, Jason Jones, Samantha Bee, Jessica Williams, Michel Che and Jordan Klepper cannot be far off the central stage, if they want to take the plunge. Larry Willmore, his Senior Black Correspondent, has just hit pay dirt by garnering Colbert’s slot.
It cannot just be coincidence that all this talent just pitched up. They had to be selected then nurtured and valued so they hung in there and grew and grew. Stewart cultivated them all and his lack of fear of being upstaged was nowhere better epitomized when he upped and fulfilled his mission to direct “Rosewater”. He nominated John Oliver, the then leading understudy to the maestro, and informed him that he need start thinking of his future after the three months. He knew that Oliver would, with this exposure, get his own show and join the legion of late night Jon Stewart wannabees.
WHAT NOW
The $64,000 question is what now? Marissa Guthrie of the Hollywood Reporter asked him just that. He was highly evasive so Ms Guthrie quoted his lifelong friend Jerry Seinfeld on the subject. Seinfeld argued that, Stewart as an artist and not a businessman, would continue till he stopped enjoying it. The issue has resurfaced especially with his protege and admirer in chief Stephen Colbert taking over David Letterman’s slot on CBS’s Late Show. This topic has come up again and again at various junctures in the past and Stewart, although tempted, has stuck to his druthers.
He could retire and potter around like Seinfeld or also “move on” to a network. The latter is just not his chop - those shows really have to sell soap and is he going to swop his daily correspondents for banter with the orchestra leader? He has ruled out being a movie director. The question really is why should he change? He doesn’t need a network to increase his ratings or image. He is it!
What is more he fulfills a social purpose not a business one. He has to continue as he blazes a trail with his outpourings of independent entertainers with the same value system.
Once when asked whether he made a difference he unhesitatingly said no. In 2010 he held a rally in Washington that drew over 200,000 people - up there with Martin Luther King. His stature and influence have grown exponentially since then. So stay where you are Jon Stewart. Jay H. Ell dreads the day when at 10.30 pm Central Time, he will not hear, “Good Evening Ladies and Gentleman, my name is Jon Stewart and we have a great show for you tonight”. Within a few lines there will be some hesitation or self put me down, indicative of his endearing, lingering insecurity and contrasting with the introduction bravado. Jon Stewart is about to weave his magic spell……
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