Jon Stewart Banned Hugh Grant From ‘The Daily Show’ For Bad Behavior
It’s no secret that celebrities we love and look up to are sometimes the rudest Hollywood stars. As a popular TV host, Jon Stewart has seen his share of difficult actors to work with on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Still, Hugh Grant’s behavior was so unacceptable to Stewart that he banned the actor from ever coming back.
What is The Daily Show?
The Daily Show is an American late-night talk/news program airing on Comedy Central and hosted by first Craig Kilborn, then Jon Stewart, and most recently, Trevor Noah. They use news stories, politics, sports, and more to inspire the satirical comedy they often entertain their viewers with.
To get an idea of how a show like this would work, Jon Stewart gave fans a look into what it’s like making the show on a daily basis in a Rolling Stone interview. He explains that the great meetings that lead to the comedy on your screen are inspired by content stemmed from when they “sit around, look at footage, and talk a lot of sh-t at the TV stuff we’re lookin’ at.” He explains that their “best shows are made of the smaller moments,” and the worst shows are the ones on legislation that give “a relatively interesting look into the process of America’s legislative process, but aren’t particularly funny.” Stewart uses Donald Trump eating a pizza with a fork as an example, saying they “make it into an overblown sanctimonious rant,” which will receive many laughs versus the less funny segments about how a bill doesn’t become law.
The Daily Show owes a lot of its success to Jon Stewart and his 16 years of comedy and satire that has had viewers doubling over in laughter. Don’t forget some of the best moments on The Daily Show like crossfire takedown, Jim Cramer interview, 9/11 monologue, Glenn Beck spoof, and more.
Meet Jon Stewart, the host of The Daily Show for 16 years
From 1999 to 2015, Jon Stewart has been known for his sarcastic and sardonic sense of humor on The Daily Show. He has earned 50 nominations and 21 Emmys since the switchover from Craig Kilborn’s pop-culture focus to Stewart’s political and news satire. Hosting isn’t his only career path, Stewart has also made appearances in Evan Almighty (2007), Big Daddy (1999), and other productions.
An interesting fact that many don’t know is that Stewart was a soccer star in college before his breakthroughs into comedy. He described his college years to New York Magazine as “waking up late, memorizing someone else’s notes, doing bong hits, and going to soccer practice.”
According to Business Insider, after Stewart graduated, he worked many odd jobs like bartender, soccer coach, busboy, and puppeteer before quickly becoming popular for his stand-up comedy on the club circuit. His first gig was at The Bitter End, but he regularly did comedy in The Cellar until his breakthrough on Comedy Central’s Short Attention Span Theater in 1989, followed by The Jon Stewart Show on MTV in 1993. In 1996, Stewart’s humorous stand-up comedy TV Special, Unleavened, aired live on HBO just a few years short of the beginning of his career in his prominent role on The Daily Show.
If you’re wondering what’s in store for Stewart after The Daily Show, you’re in luck. Since handing over the torch and providing Trevor Noah with some friendly advice, Stewart has had a lot more free time on his hands. His personal life is open to more interesting activities without the obligation to report on current events, and he’s still going strong professionally. At the beginning of summer 2020, Stewart’s film Irresistible premiered on-demand for political comedy enthusiasts. He has made some notable appearances on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, and the future will see him back on TV screens for the Apple TV+ streaming service.
The reasons behind Hugh Grant being banned
Hugh Grant made his appearance on The Daily Show in 2009 to promote his movie Did You Hear About the Morgans? It would be his last one on the show after his “inner crab got the better of” him and got him banned from reappearances. According to The Guardian, Stewart told Stephen Colbert, “He [was] giving everyone sh-t the whole time, and [he was] a big pain in the ass.” Grant reportedly complained about staff, places he could otherwise be, and the clip used to promote his movie. Stewart responded with, “then make a better f-ing movie.” Since the encounter, Grant has owned up to his unforgivable behavior and admitted, “J Stewart correct to give me kicking” in a tweet in 2012.
