Not that it was that planned out, it just kind of unfolded. And when we left the studio, we were convinced like ‘oh man, that was terrible, hope no one watches that.’ We kind of felt bad about it, we felt like it didn’t go that well. “It was something we had theoretically talked about a lot before, in the office, like ‘what about just going on that show and just telling those guys off?’ But we didn’t think he’d really do it….
At a 2005 Q&A at Montreal’s Just For Laughs Festival, Karlin told the audience: In it, Stewart says Carlson and Begala are “partisan hacks” who aren’t fulfilling their journalistic responsibilities, and describes the program as dishonest and “theater.”ĭaily Show Executive Producer Ben Karlin was with Stewart in Washington the day of his Crossfire appearance. Hundreds of thousands of people downloaded CNN’s video of the appearance, and since the subsequent invention of YouTube, several million more have watched the 12-minute takedown. Yes, it was still a pre- Colbert Report world, but the need was becoming clear. If you need more context, try this on for size: less than a month before his Crossfire appearance, Stewart and a few colleagues pitched Comedy Central executives on a Daily Show spinoff that would parody these yelling, fact-shunning pundits.
With just a few weeks to go before the presidential election, all eyes were on Stewart. Stewart was on the road promoting America (The Book) in fall of 2004, and by then The Daily Show was well established as the gold standard of political satire.
It’s hard to believe a full decade has passed since Daily Show host Jon Stewart made that infamous plea to Crossfire hosts Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala during a tense appearance on CNN’s daily partisan shoutfest.