Former Daily Show host Jon Stewart was back on the show Monday night, but on the other side of the table.
It was the first time Stewart returned to the political talk show since he left his role on Aug. 6; the issue at hand — a bill meant to provide health care for 9/11 first responders — is near and dear to Stewart’s heart.
“Wait, are you here to take the show back? Oh man, I heard about this in American TV,” current host Trevor Noah said to Stewart.
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Stewart laughed it off, saying that the reason for his return was to call attention to an issue he’s very passionate about. Since he’s now showless, he doesn’t have a method to relay the message. The law, which gives health care to first responders injured during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, hasn’t yet been made permanent and Stewart has no idea why.
“It seems like a no-brainer, so, Jon, what’s holding it up now?” Noah asked.
“No brains,” Stewart joked.
The ex-host then asked viewers to use the hashtag #WorstResponders when referring to the U.S. Congress.
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“People forget, with all this talk now about terrorism from the World Trade Center to San Bernardino, the one common link to all of this is the first people on the scene were first responders,” Stewart said. “What message does it send to our first responders if once we’re done as a nation with them helping us that we forget about them? That’s unacceptable to me.”
The timing of Stewart’s reappearance is interesting, after rumours last week that Noah’s grip on the audience (and his own staff) is slipping.