Comedian Jon Stewart received the Mark Twain Humor Prize on Sunday night and used his acceptance speech to warn that “authoritarianism” is the greatest threat to art.
Referencing the country’s preoccupation with the Will Smith-Chris Rock Oscar imbroglio, Stewart said “it’s not the Fresh Prince, it’s the crown prince,” who exhibits a fragility that imperils artistic expression.
“Comedy is the bellwether, we’re the banana peel in the coal mine,” Stewart continued. “Authoritarianism is the threat to art, theater, poetry…. What we have is fragile and precious, and the way to guard against it isn’t to change how audiences think, but to change how leaders lead.”
The star-studded award ceremony with be televised on June 21st. It featured appearances by political and entertainment elites, including Dave Chappelle, Steve Carell, Jimmy Kimmel, Bruce Springsteen, Nancy Pelosi and Pete Buttigieg.
The Hollywood Reporter writes:
Presidential biographer Jon Meacham paid tribute to Stewart by describing him as “a comedian with a conscience,” adding, “Night after night you’ve given a divided America a chance to get its moral bearings. Most comedians make jokes, but Jon, you make a difference.”
More from The Hollywood Reporter:
Speaker Pelosi, who has been the subject of Stewart’s ribbing in the past, graciously acknowledged that she enjoyed his work regardless of the subject, “just so long as it’s funny.” “I’m excited about Jon Stewart for his humor of course,” said Pelosi, “but from the standpoint of his impact on public policy, he’s been focused on what he knows about and cares about. He doesn’t just come at it as a celebrity,” Pelosi said in reference to the comedian’s tireless activism on behalf of veterans and 9/11 emergency workers.
NPR adds:
For 16 years The Daily Show with Jon Stewart relentlessly skewered politicians and the news media. The show won two Peabody Awards and 20 Emmys. Even though it was on Comedy Central, it was also where a lot of people got their news.
Dave Chappelle, who won the Mark Twain Prize in 2019, said Stewart’s voice was vital after 9/11 and the U.S. invasion of Iraq, “The news was off the chain and Jon was the only voice that helped people decipher that madness,” he said.
