In 2015, Jon Stewart, The Conscience of Television, chose as his final interview guest on The Daily Show his good friend comedian Louis C.K., The Conscience of Comedy.
A year later, when Stewart appeared on a talkshow hosted by Obama svengali David Axelrod, a well-prepared audience member raised some awkward questions during an audience Q&A. Slate has the transcript:
Audience member: I wanted to ask you about the last interview on your show, which I think was Louis C.K.As all you little people should know by now, we professional comedians never exchange gossip about other professional comedians. Why would anyone imagine a distinguished purveyor of comedic opinion such as myself would want to hear hilariously disgusting stories about one of my most eminent colleagues? I say, sir! You have impugned the dignity of the comicalist profession.Stewart: Yeah.
Audience member: So from my memory, I think that was after some of the rumors about Louis C.K.’s alleged harassment of female comedians—
Stewart: Whoa.
Audience member: —had sort of started to come out.
Stewart: Wait, what?
Audience member: It was after Jen Kirkman had talked about her knowledge of Louis C.K.’s alleged harassment of comedians—at least people interpreted it that way—and an article on Gawker, I believe, about it. I just wanted to know—if this is the first you’re hearing of it, maybe I already got my answer, but there wasn’t discussion about this on the show.
Stewart: [laughs] Wait, wait, wait. I’m a little lost. So the internet said Louis harassed women. …
Stewart: All I can tell you is I’ve worked with Louis for 30 years and he’s a wonderful man and person and I’ve never heard anything about this.
We’ve all known Bill Cosby was a prick for a long time, so I don’t know what to tell you.Okay, okay, I do know what to tell you: Cosby seemed a little … Republican … you know, for a black guy. So Cosby was fair game. Louis, in contrast, was a big Hillary Man:
Sure, Louis often seemed like he was about to say something politically incorrect that had just occurred to him, but then he’d rein his urge in and give the audience a little lecture instead. Now, that’s what I call Comedy!
But I didn’t know about the sexual assault—[Comment at Unz.com]Audience member: Not sexual assault, but—
Axelrod: Sir, appreciate your question. Thank you. And let’s say thanks to Jon Stewart.
