The Daily Show: Ears Edition

Haley Stevens breaks ranks with Democrats by endorsing Mike Rogers, who she once called a "nightmare," right before the midterms, news networks question the polls they use to disappoint us every election cycle, and Trump is STILL talking about the reflecting pool. Jon Stewart breaks down the election week headlines and warns against overconfidence in a 2026 blue wave — because the media can't kick their poll addiction, even though they know it hurts.

Michael Lewis joins Jon to discuss his new book, “Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State,” which unveils an inside look into DOGE’s inner workings and champions the civil servants who got in its way. Lewis and Stewart dive deep into stories of the brave civil servants who “blocked” DOGE, including the wild U.S. Institute of Peace standoff where a security guard locked DOGE staffers in a wing of the building until D.C. police showed up and escorted him out. Lewis also shares how DOGE’s young operatives targeted the people he calls “the best among us” and why he somehow walked away from it all optimistically.

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This week's hosts Jordan Klepper, Michael Kosta, and Ronny Chieng dig into the wild 2026 midterm elections just before votes are cast, analyzing Trump's increasingly unhinged campaign rhetoric, the "Big Blue Wave" predictions, and the bizarre saga of two Dan Sullivans in Alaska.

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Catch all of the past week's great guests in one place.

Investigative journalist Matthew Cole sits down with Jon Stewart to talk about his new book, “Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed’s Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East.” Cole’s book chronicles a five-year investigation into Jared Kushner’s alleged “secret financial agreements and arrangements” made between Trump’s son-in-law and the rulers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. Cole points out that Kushner’s lawyer unequivocally and emphatically denies everything in his book, but Cole remains “very confident that I have the story right.”

BAFTA-winning comedian and actor Morgana Robinson chats with Jordan Klepper about her new film, “Ali G: Who Iz I.” The two discuss what it was like to stay in character through long shooting days, how they pulled off the raunchy hijinks in the film, and what the audition process was like for such a unique project. Plus, Klepper learns some new NSFW British slang.

Legendary musician, artist, and author David Byrne chats with Jordan about his new book “Sleeping Beauties: Why Good Ideas Go Dormant and How They Wake Up.” The two discuss Kafka, Melville, and other historical luminaries whose greatest works often went overlooked until their rediscovery later on, how modern hubris repeatedly ignores wisdom of the past, as well as Byrne’s research process for unearthing these forgotten stories. Plus, Byrne shares his writing process behind the song “Let Me Sell You A Dream,” which he wrote and performed for the documentary, “Musk.”

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and actor Tracy Letts joins Jordan to talk about his new film, “I Play Rocky,” which chronicles the making of the 1976 film, “Rocky.” Letts shares why he doesn’t buy the legend that Sylvester Stallone wrote the entire “Rocky” screenplay in three days and what it’s like to film in the same Philadelphia neighborhoods where the original was shot. Plus, Letts explains the wonders of his digital movie collection of over 12,000 titles and what he learned performing improv in Chicago.

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Catch up on the latest headlines with The Daily Show News Team.

Jon Stewart dives into Trump’s midterm closing arguments, which featured an array of Islamophobic attacks against Abdul El-Sayed, bragging about oil companies' profits amid high gas prices, a quid pro quo for sick veterans, and a look into who the “you” is that Trump claims to represent. Jordan Klepper weighs in on Obama’s Cheesecake Factory diss that had MAGA obsessing over the restaurant chain, the d**k pics and ass talk eating the midterm elections alive, uproar over a second “Dan Sullivan” on Alaska's Senate ballot, and Republicans' last-ditch fearmongering campaign, including Ted Cruz calling El-Sayed a "jihadist leprechaun."

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Jordan Klepper dives into the headlines with Republicans unleashing a last-ditch tactic in this final midterm sprint: spooky stories. From socialist dystopias to jihadist leprechauns to forced gender reassignment surgeries happening at your kids’ school, nothing is off the table for these GOP tales, just in time for Halloween. But hey, that’s what happens when you can't convince voters with your actual ideas or accomplishments.

As calls to tax the rich reach a fever pitch in the U.S., billionaires have become America's newest oppressed minority. Michael Kosta traveled to California to hear both sides of the wealth tax debate, with March for Billionaires organizer Derik Kauffman fighting on behalf of the nation's beleaguered top earners, and wealthy investor Tom Steyer calling his fellow billionaires "insanely selfish and delusional" for opposing it.

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and actor Tracy Letts joins Jordan to talk about his new film, “I Play Rocky,” which chronicles the making of the 1976 film, “Rocky.” Letts shares why he doesn’t buy the legend that Sylvester Stallone wrote the entire “Rocky” screenplay in three days and what it’s like to film in the same Philadelphia neighborhoods where the original was shot. Plus, Letts explains the wonders of his physical movie collection of over 12,000 titles and what he learned performing improv in Chicago.

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The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11/10c on Comedy Central.

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With less than a week until the 2026 midterms, Republicans are running out of ways to expose their own weaknesses, so Tennessee congressional candidate Brent Taylor chose the most literal way: with a d**k pic scandal. Jordan Klepper breaks down Taylor's "youthful indiscretion" from when he was 53, Trump's ongoing ass tour, and the president's DOJ moving to block certification of Alaska's Senate race over confusion around two candidates named Dan Sullivan, but only if the Republican Dan loses.

In this installment of In My Opinion, Charlamagne Tha God looks at how politicians and pundits are turning the 2026 midterms into a masculinity contest. From Fox News trashing Troy Jackson's manhood over a cup of boba tea to Democrats going hard at the gym in campaign ads, Charlamagne takes on the cartoonish machismo in America's political discourse with a reminder that, in the end, "being a man" comes down to character.

Legendary musician, artist, and author David Byrne chats with Jordan about his new book “Sleeping Beauties: Why Good Ideas Go Dormant and How They Wake Up.” The two discuss Kafka, Melville, and other historical luminaries whose greatest works often went overlooked until their rediscovery later on, how modern hubris repeatedly ignores wisdom of the past, as well as Byrne’s research process for unearthing these forgotten stories. Plus, Byrne shares his writing process behind the song “Let Me Sell You A Dream,” which he wrote and performed for the documentary, “Musk.”

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The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11/10c on Comedy Central.

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Obama roasted Trump’s White House renovations, so conservative media rushes to the defense of… The Cheesecake Factory? Jordan Klepper dives into the headlines as we approach the 2026 midterms, and chats with a very fishermanly John Hodgman, who comes bearing updates on Maine’s contentious Senate race.

With the 2026 midterms just a week away, one group might have an outsized influence: influencers! Desi Lydic breaks down how social media stars are becoming the lifeblood of American political campaigns, with candidates joining them to answer illuminating questions like "What are your icks?" But not all influencers are motivated by civic duty. Amid reports of candidates using campaign funds to quietly pay influencers large sums of money, Desi urges everyone to vet their sources ahead of the election. Because casting your vote on the advice of a paid political hack will always be an ick.

BAFTA-winning comedian and actor Morgana Robinson chats with Jordan about her new film, “Ali G: Who Iz I.” The two discuss what it was like to stay in character through long shooting days, how they pulled off the raunchy hijinks in the film, and what the audition process was like for such a unique project. Plus, Klepper learns some new NSFW British slang.

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The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11/10c on Comedy Central.

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Jon Stewart breaks down Trump’s closing argument ahead of the midterm elections, including his celebration of huge profits for oil and gas companies amid high prices, his Islamophobic vow to keep Abdul El-Sayed out of the Senate, and his plan to secure settlements for Camp Lejeune veterans… only IF Republicans win. Plus, Jon tackles Trump’s defense of abusive mothers, Obama’s slam-dunk Cheesecake Factory insult, and who the "you" is that Trump claims to represent.

Investigative journalist Matthew Cole sits down with Jon to talk about his new book, “Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed’s Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East.” Cole’s book chronicles a five-year investigation into Jared Kushner’s alleged “secret financial agreements and arrangements” made between Trump’s son-in-law and the rulers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. Cole points out that Kushner’s lawyer unequivocally and emphatically denies everything in his book, but Cole remains “very confident that I have the story right.”

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Jordan Klepper and Daily Show Supervising Producer Ian Berger kick off the week with a preview of Klepper's special, Red Flags, which premieres TONIGHT after The Daily Show.

They discuss the whirlwind experience of turning around a 24-minute special in only 20 days and how, with the midterms approaching, the GOP is serving up a "turducken of fear" in an incoherent mishmash of McCarthyism and Islamophobia.

Plus, Klepper explores how MAGA rallygoers in Middle American states like Nebraska have positioned NYC Mayor Mamdani as their unlikely boogeyman, while their Texas counterparts are obsessing over God's genitals in their attacks on Senate candidate James Talarico.

Finally, Klepper and Ian wrap things up with a round of Daily Show & Tell and look ahead to this week's guests: Morgana Robinson, David Byrne, and Tracy Letts.

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The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11/10c on Comedy Central.

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Catch up on the latest headlines with The Daily Show News Team.

Jon Stewart examines the riots in Paris, Trump's ass-kissing diesel deal with Russia, and Ukraine's sudden trouble accessing Elon Musk's Starlink service. Michael Kosta checks in on the midterm candidates, including Vivek Ramaswamy's ad recruiting his opponent's estranged mother, Jaime West's seemingly s**t-faced interview, and President Trump's admiration of Jon Husted's butt. Ronny Chieng covers JD Vance's creepy new laugh and Trump canceling a livestream of the Fort Hood shooter's execution. Plus, Ronny handles more midterm updates, including deep-red states getting a little less red, Trump professing his love for Tim Scott, and Susan Collins attacking Troy Jackson's family tree.

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The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11/10c on Comedy Central.

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Midterm mania continues with competitive races turning deep-red states purple, or at least… burgundy red? Ronny Chieng breaks down the headlines, including Trump professing his love for Sen. Tim Scott and bragging about his favorite presidential side hustle: renaming bodies of water. Plus, Michael Kosta defends Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson after Susan Collins points out that his family tree has some funky branches.

When a new Trump outrage hits the news cycle, Chief Deniability Officer Sheryl B. Bahama (Grace Kuhlenschmidt) steps in to provide GOP lawmakers with a protective layer of ignorance. Whether she's kidnapping Mike Johnson or brain-wiping Tommy Tuberville, Sheryl makes sure Republicans can respond to uncomfortable questions about Trump with a confident "I don't know."

Actor and comedian Jimmy O. Yang sits down with longtime friend Ronny to discuss his third comedy special, “Finally Home.” Yang chats about returning to Hong Kong to connect to his roots 25 years after moving to America, how finding his childhood diary inspired his new special, and the differences between the comment sections on Chinese and American social media. Plus, Yang and Ronny discuss sharing a trailer on the “Crazy Rich Asians” set and what it was like being co-stars in “Interior Chinatown.”

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The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11/10c on Comedy Central.

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A guffawing JD Vance struggles to remember what he’s good at, a Venezuelan billionaire knows the way to Trump’s heart is a bribe, and Ronny Chieng gets down to the real reason Pete Hegseth’s livestream firing squad got canceled: ableism?

In this edition of In My Opinion, Mo Amer looks at how Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed remains a formidable candidate despite facing a barrage of increasingly unhinged Islamophobia. Mo explains that El-Sayed is neutralizing his attackers with a not-so-secret weapon: He's likable! Just as Zohran Mamdani was able to charm and disarm President Trump, El-Sayed is winning over people like Fox News's Jesse Watters by being a relatable guy with charisma to spare... and the TikTok dance moves to match.

Academy Award-winning writer and director Taika Waititi joins Ronny to discuss his new film “Klara and the Sun.” The two discuss working with a star-studded cast to create an unexpectedly topical film about robot friends, shooting the film in New Zealand, and how the film industry in Waititi’s home country has changed over the years. Plus, Ronny shares his experience working with Waititi and how the director prioritizes giving back to the communities that make his movies possible.

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The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11/10c on Comedy Central.

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With the midterms in the homestretch, Trump gets horny over male Republican candidates, a pro-Vivek Ramaswamy ad recruits his opponent's mom to attack her, a Fayette County Council candidate locks in for a drunk interview about AI and guns, and Michael Kosta wonders if Trump has spent more time thinking about Jon Husted's butt or the Iran War.

Jordan Klepper profiles Trump's newest former press secretary, Katie Zacharia, who was fired after just five days on the job. Between Zacharia's disastrous first press briefing, her bona fides as a seasoned conspiracy theorist, and her extensive experience as an almost-lawyer, Klepper tries to get to the bottom of why Trump would reject someone who clearly had the whole MAGA package.

Death Cab for Cutie’s lead singer, Ben Gibbard, joins Michael to talk about the band’s 11th studio album, “I Built You a Tower,” an exploration of how we compartmentalize grief just to get through the day. Gibbard looks back on 30 years of making music, how songwriting feels like therapy (but shouldn’t replace actual therapy), and how he finds transcendence while running ultramarathons.

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New customers can save 35% on your first month of subscription by going to https://dosedaily.co/TDS or entering TDS at checkout.

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The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11/10c on Comedy Central.

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Paris is burning, Trump is back to kissing Putin’s ass, and there’s a new war to blame for bank-breaking gas prices. Jon Stewart examines the headlines, including the protests that literally set Paris on fire while President Macron enjoyed a Celine Dion concert. Plus, American allegiances in the Russia-Ukraine war are called into question as Trump signs a diesel deal worth billions with Putin, and Jon gets some key players on the phone to work out why Ukraine is having trouble accessing Elon Musk’s Starlink cell service.

Best-selling author and Washington bureau chief for Mother Jones, David Corn, sits down with Jon to discuss his latest book, "How Russia Won: Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and the Fight for America." They talk about Trump’s fixation on teaming up with Vladimir Putin, how Trump’s “man crush” on Putin drove him to sign a diesel fuel deal with Russia in spite of the war in Ukraine, Putin embodying Trump’s dream of wealth with full authority, and how Trump employs the theory of “big f**ks small.”

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The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11/10c on Comedy Central.

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This week's host Ronny Chieng sits down with Daily Show writer Jason O. Gilbert to recap the latest headlines, and preview the week to come.

They discuss Trump pulling the plug on Pete Hegseth's push for a livestreamed execution of the Fort Hood shooter, White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia's "lawyer" controversy, reports that ousted ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle has a "burn book" that could damage the Trump family, and how a rogue AI agent deleted an entire season of an upcoming Swedish reality show. Plus, the pair looks at how Democrats Jon Ossoff and James Talarico are running circles around their MAGA midterm opponents, and Ronny reveals how he broke his arm while filming a comedy special with Hasan Minhaj.

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The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11/10c on Comedy Central.

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Get to know even more weird guys with part 3 of The Daily Showograpies.

Deep dive on the origins of Vladimir Putin, Rudy Giuliani, Pete Hegseth, JD Vance, Mike Johnson and Mitch McConnell.

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Get to know even more weird guys with part 2 of The Daily Showograpies.

Dig into the origin stories of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Ted Cruz, Jeff Bezos, Gavin Newsom, Stephen A. Smith, and Tim Walz.

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Get to know the weird guys in the news with this collection of Daily Showograpies.

Dive deep into the inner workings of Mark Zuckerberg, Stephen Miller, Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan, Marco Rubio and Vivek Ramaswamy.

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Catch all of the past week's great guests in one place.

Jacob Coxon, a former Anthropic and OpenAI researcher who spoke out about the dangers of artificial intelligence, opens up to Jon Stewart about the grim reality of the tech industry— from malicious hacks to potential biological attacks. The two discuss the future, AI-led utopia that tech companies are trying to sell us, the megalomania and riskiness that underlie the industry, and the terrifying capabilities Coxon witnessed while training AI models at Anthropic and OpenAI.

Academy Award-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin sits down with Michael Kosta to discuss writing and directing his new film, "The Social Reckoning." Sorkin discusses revisiting Mark Zuckerberg as an anti-hero 16 years after “The Social Network,” balancing his role as both writer and director of the film, and recounting how intense physicality during the writing process once landed him in the hospital with a broken nose.

Sebastian Stan sits down with Michael to talk about the Palme d'Or-winning film “Fjord,” which explores the story of an immigrant family in Norway whose children are taken away by authorities who believe they’re acting for the right reasons. Stan opens up about his personal connections to the film, leaving Romania at the age of eight, and reconnecting with the country he left behind. Plus, Kosta talks about Stan’s eclectic career choices, from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to playing President Donald Trump.

Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actor Kyle MacLachlan joins Michael to discuss his bestselling memoir, "Fictional Selves." MacLachlan opens up about bouncing back from a disappointing debut in the 1984 version of “Dune,” the tight-knit relationship he developed with director David Lynch throughout his career, his most iconic roles from “Sex and the City” to “Showgirls,” and the surprising, industry-changing success of “Twin Peaks.” Plus, hear about the wine label MacLachlan started with his dad and how he learned to navigate Hollywood and advocate for himself on set.

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