What if Jon Stewart came back and everyone shrugged it off?

Watch Jon Stewart’s reaction to commentary ahead of his impending return to The Daily Show during election season: ￣_(ツ)_/￣

Throwing up his arms in disbelief was one of Stewart’s standard gestures during his 16-and-a-half years hosting the show. From 1999 to his 2015, I watched him succeed night after night, and now I automatically think of him every time I see his shrug emoji.

Comedy Central’s announcement that he will be back at the helm starting February 12, albeit only on Mondays, has been greeted with giddy optimism in some quarters (CNN: John) Stewart’s return to ‘The Daily Show’ could shake up politics in 2024). with dark pessimism (time: Jon Stewart’s return on The Daily Show is a bad omen for late night).

It pains me to say this as a fan, but I fear most Americans will react with Stewart’s signature shrug.

Think about how much has changed since he said, “I’m just going out for drinks” and canceled my contract. And I’m sure I’ll see you before I leave. ”

First, the comedy landscape has changed. Comedy Central is no longer what it once was, supplanting all cable TV in the streaming era in ratings. Stewart hasn’t had a major hit show in years, and there’s a fair bit of hopelessness surrounding Stewart’s return. More broadly, late-night TV has been losing ratings and revenue for years. As an avid consumer of comedy, I get my favorites mostly from clips on YouTube and social media feeds.

The political situation has also changed. Stewart’s trading stock is a mockery of our nation’s leaders and some of their insane followers. But it’s hard to laugh at Donald Trump and his MAGA hordes. they are too dangerous. The threat they pose to our republic is too great.

Cartoonists like “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening and “Veep” creator Armando Iannucci say President Trump goes beyond satire, especially Stewart-style satire. tend to agree with that. Rooted in liberal politics, comedy is most effective when it pokes fun at the establishment. But author and cultural commentator Joel Stein, himself a poker addict, points out that liberals are now the establishment. With President Trump looming large, Stein told me: [of liberal comedy] It’s about protecting the facility from barbarians. Can comedy do that? It’s not really interesting. When you’re so scared of the changes on your doorstep, that’s not the best place to do comedy. ”

Some argue that it’s more important than ever to laugh at our country’s political woes. “Satire is always appropriate,” says Richard Zoglin, cultural critic and author of “Comedy at the Edge: How Stand-up in the 1970s Changed America.” “Satirists are playing a role in holding President Trump accountable.”

But finally, and perhaps most unfortunately for fans, Stewart changed. Few comedians come back from a long hiatus intact, but the glimpses we’ve seen of Stewart in recent years don’t make us optimistic that he’ll be an exception.

Long before his Apple TV+ show “The Jon Stewart Problem” was canceled, reportedly due to creative differences over how to handle topics such as China, critics said it was only occasionally funny. It was pointed out that there was no. Too often, he came across as a run-of-the-mill rebuke. The joker in the classroom turned into an unpopular teacher. “He’s older now and more serious as a person,” Stein explains.

But so are those of us who have laughed with him over the years, and many of us hope we can do so again. He will also serve as an executive producer on The Daily Show, so if his eye for talent hasn’t diminished with age, he’ll be a bright spot for writers and writers like Stephen Colbert and John Oliver. There is an opportunity to recruit new supporting characters for “Reporter.” .

However, it won’t save Comedy Central. Best-case scenario, you’ll see Stewart’s comeback show and linger for the next Monday or two. After that, most of us will go back to watching clips of the show on social media.

Even if Stewart were to return to the national conversation, no matter the medium, would it make a difference? Zoglin offers some hope, noting that satire is the one thing Trump is not transparent about. He cares about these things. ”

At least that person won’t go ￣_(ツ)_/￣