John Oliver— or the “prodigal son,” as he called himself — made a surprise return to hisDaily Showroots to officially welcome the U.S. back into its “monarchy era.”
Oliver, 47, began a slow clap as he made an entrance, exciting the audience and introducing himself as the “prodigal son” who has “returned.”
“Do my eyes deceive me? Is that young John Oliver? Are you here to offer America your wisdom and counsel?” Stewart, 62, asked his former correspondent.
“Oh no, I am here to gloat,” theLast Week Tonighthost said as he began a long-running joke about how the U.S. has “had its little fun, experimenting with democracy” but is now ready to return to its roots.
John Oliver joins Jon Stewart on ‘The Daily Show’.Matt Wilson/Comedy Central’s The Daily Show
Matt Wilson/Comedy Central’s The Daily Show
“You told everybody that you were going to be different, you weren’t going to turn out like your mean old dad who was so horrible to you when you were growing up,” he continued. “So we sat back. We let you spend your wild teen years experimenting with your ridiculous ideas of checks and balances because deep down we knew that once you got that nonsense out of your system, you’d be back.”
Oliver wanted to be the “first to welcome America to its monarchy era,” he said, but Stewart wasn’t exactly going for it, and insisted the country was not yet ready to “go full empire.”
TheLast Week Tonighthost, who wasThe Daily Show’s senior British correspondent from 2006 to 2013, also tossed in a few musical references during his surprise appearance, as he threatened to launch into two different musical numbers — “You’ll Be Back” fromLin Manuel Miranda’sHamiltonandKendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”
As the joke continued, Oliver advised that Americans not “fight being a monarchy” but rather “embrace it,” and when Stewart said that wasn’t in the country’s interest, Oliver doubled down.“Imperial model isn’t for you? For a country that doesn’t want to be an empire, you’re doing a pretty f—ing good impression right now. Invasions, economic exploitations and now suggesting turning Gaza into a beachfront casino? Even King George would have been like ‘I don’t know guys, feels like the situation is a bit more complicated than that and I’m literally dying of medieval brain disease.'”
The hilarious monologue — and reunion — ended with Stewart admitting, “We really have become our father.”
John Oliver surprises Jon Stewart on ‘The Daily Show’.The Daily Show/Youtube
The Daily Show/Youtube
Stewart returned as host ofThe Daily Showin February 2024, nearly a decade afterhe’d stepped down from the role after 16 years. It was announcedhe would anchor and executive produce Monday night episodes of the show amid the then-ongoing presidential election.
In October, Stewart’s gig was extended and he will host every Monday through December 2025.
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The Daily Showairs weeknights at 11 p.m. ET on Comedy Central andLast Week Tonightairs Sundays at 11 p.m. ET on HBO.
source: people.com
