The things my parents exposed me to when I was a child would horrify some. I started watching "Grey's Anatomy" in the second grade. The "Rent" soundtrack has blasted in my mom's car since I was seven. My parents are the kind of people who didn’t get the point of hiding things from me. They let me watch stuff with them, and if I had questions, they’d answer them. (My eight-year-old self definitely had MANY questions about the shenanigans between Meredith and McDreamy.) One of the shows I was subjected to was "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," a mainstay on their DVR for as long as I can remember.
In my early years, if I was restless (which was often), I’d wander into my parents’ bedroom and watch TV with them until I felt sleepy. The usual programming was, you guessed it, "The Daily Show." At that time, I had a very basic understanding of politics. I knew who the president was (Bush), how voting worked (What’s up, electoral college!), and that there were two parties who constantly disagreed on everything. Watching "The Daily Show" launched my young self into a new universe that I had never experienced before: analysis and satirization of the political news. It was weird. I didn’t quite understand yet the relevance or why it was funny, but either way, I was intrigued.
Like many millennials, I grew to become a great admirer of the show by my teens. By now, I was much more informed and could understand and appreciate the content. Though "The Daily Show" wasn’t technically a news program, it was usually a lot more informative than the actual news. When I watched the regular news, it felt like everyone was talking at me. An endless cycle of the same points, the same debates, the same drama again and again was, and still is, agonizing to watch. But there was something about Jon and his team of “correspondents” that won me over every night. Jon had a way of creating intimacy, like you were the only one watching, making his audience feel comfortable and engaged. He clearly cared about the topics on his show, demonstrated by his visible passion, especially in the times when he broke and got angry or upset. (For example, his reaction to the decision not to indict the officers involved in the Eric Garner case.)
To me, in the realm of the media, he was the only one who actually acknowledged the insanity of our society. Unlike other programs, his segments started discussions among younger people like me. Most of my friends watched it, and we’d often have a back and forth about it at lunch when I was in high school. Jon’s segments even made their way into my junior year AP Government and Politics class, where we often deliberated his criticisms and how he presented them. (There were many lively debates prompted from those discussions.) Though anyone can see that Jon Stewart wasn’t completely moderate or unbiased, he got the people of my generation thinking about the state of their country and government. It definitely influenced me to seek out information, and now that I'm preparing to vote in a presidential election for the first time, that engagement is priceless.
I sometimes joke that I hold the title of “Unluckiest Lucky Person Alive.” I’m unlucky in the fact that I broke my right foot and severely injured my left in a span of six months. Yet, I’m lucky because, by some miracle, I was able to score the very last ticket to the June 2, 2015 episode of "The Daily Show." Unlucky: I had to wait in line for six hours on 11th Avenue, in the rain, while wearing my medical boot. Lucky: I was seated in the front row on the aisle because I would’ve had a bit of trouble climbing the stairs of the stadium seating in my boot. (The one time my boot did me any favors!)
Sitting in that studio was a dream come true. Seeing the set in person was amazing, and I had an unbelievable view. It was much smaller than it looked on TV, but the colors were so much brighter in person.
The view from my seat.
Suddenly, I was that little kid watching the show in elementary school with her parents again. I was excited for the scheduled 6 pm taping to start. At around 5 pm, a warm up comic pumped everyone up for the show. Then Jon Stewart himself came out to answer some audience questions.
A lot of people tell tales of disappointment when they meet someone they’ve admired from afar. Sometimes, those people turn out to be jerks, or not as great as you thought, etc. Jon Stewart was the opposite of a disappointment. He was a stand up guy, a true professional, and really engaged with the audience. He respectfully, and hilariously, answered all their questions. During the Q&A, I was shaking in my seat in pure excitement. I was afraid to make a sound, worrying I would draw attention. I was the blonde girl in the giant, black boot, after all. Looking back on it, I wish I would’ve asked a question. (Something about his directorial aspirations...) But being there was enough.
In Jon's final episode, Stephen Colbert said, “You said to me and many other people here years ago to never thank you, because we owe you nothing. It is one of the few times I've known you to be dead wrong.” I fully agree with Mr. Colbert here. I owe Jon Stewart so much. Not only did he influence me as a writer and entertainer, but as a citizen and a person. So thank you, Jon Stewart, for all you’ve given me. You’ll be sorely missed by this Missouri girl.
