There’s been a huge Jon Stewart-shaped void during this election season, but thanks to a recent live taping of David Axelrod’s CNN podcast, there’s finally a place where we can hear about his thoughts on the presidential candidates, how the election gets covered by 24-hour news networks, whether or not he’s restless without his Daily Show gig, and tons more. During the discussion, Stewart says that Donald Trump has the “physical countenance of a man and a baby’s temperament and hands,” calls Hillary Clinton “a very bright woman without the courage of her convictions” not unlike Magic Johnson’s talk show, and recalls his time lobbying for the Zadroga Act in Washington D.C. as a “fucking horrorshow.”
Stewart also confirmed some sad news in case you were hoping for a surprise Jon Stewart HBO show in time for the election: “I’m not gonna be on television anymore … The one thing I also want to make clear to people is when you’re not on television, you’re still alive, and you’re still engaged in the world,” he says. “Let me put it this way: The October surprise in this election is not a 2-minute cartoon that I’m going to release.” The interview is loaded with great quotes and insights from Stewart (“Comedy tries to require the least amount of distance between your brain and your gut”) – and you can watch it in full above.
