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Jon Stewart has left the building

"We learned from you." Tributes heaped upon Daily Show host after 16 years on air.

2015-08-07_1523

Jon Stewart has finished his Daily Show run after some 16 years.

How we will miss his unique take -some may same ‘rants’- on American society and world affairs. A view of the world that made America look at its soul.

According to US media reports, here is what comprised the final episode. You can catch it tonight in Australia at 6:30pm on the Comedy Channel:

Stewart bounded on camera, more than ready for his hour-long farewell special brimming with famous guests ranging from Hillary Clinton and Stephen Colbert to Darth Vader.

The show began with the gradual introduction of just about every “correspondent” the Daily Show ever had, including Steve Carell, Samantha Bee, and John Oliver, culminating with a superb speech from Colbert that was both hilarious and moving enough to bring a tear to Stewart’s eye.

Fittingly, the first debate of leading Republican presidential hopefuls ended just moments before Stewart’s show aired on Comedy Central, typical fodder for Stewart’s acerbic cannon. Not one to disappoint an audience that has spent several election cycles by his side, Stewart gave the old political machine one last crank.

“I think you’ll all agree with me that it … incredible. … articulate. And because of that, even though it is our last night on the air I feel somewhat of a responsibility – nay an obligation – to devote the entirety of our last show to our standard post-debate full-team coverage.”

There was a Goodfellas-style camera-swoop through the Daily Show offices and studio that lasted too long only because the host seemed in capable of leaving anyone unacknowledged.

“We owe you – and not just what you did for our careers by employing us to come on this tremendous that you made. We owe you because we learned from you,” Colbert said in a heartfelt tribute from many of the show’s former stars who now front their own shows, as Stewart squirmed, visibly uncomfortable by the compliments.

“You are infuriatingly good at your job. All of us, who were lucky enough to work with you – and you can edit this out later – all of us are all better at our jobs, because we got to watch you do yours. And we are better people for having known you. You are a great artist and a good man,” Colbert said.

Incoming Daily Show host Trevor Noah creeped up on stage with a measuring tape, to feel out his new studio.

“Hey Trevor – can you give me like 20 more minutes?” Stewart asked.

Political faces included senators Chuck Schumer, Lindsey Graham and John McCain. Congressman Charles Rangel bade farewell, as did Secretary of State John Kerry, New Jersey governor Chris Christie and Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel. Hillary Clinton even offered her own sarcastic message: “And just when I’m running for president, what a bummer.”

The media industry also paid tribute to Stewart, with goodbyes from Wolf Blitzer, Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and even arch-nemesis Bill O’Reilly.

The finale concluded with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, the band Stewart credits with inspiring him to leave Trenton, New Jersey.

Nearing the end of the show, Stewart did a brief monologue on the “three basic flavours” of institutional bullshit, riffing on a mantra oft-repeated during his tenure on the show. “I say to you, friends, the best defense against bullshit is vigilance. So if you smell something, say something.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEthwSdnU9U&feature=youtu.be

Source: The Guardian, TIME, Yahoo

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