Former “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart surprised this week’s guest host, Roy Wood Jr. on Tuesday night when he came out, as befits Stewart’s record as the longest-serving host of the show, dressed like Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Stewart was there, as it happens, to help Wood go viral with his coverage of Donald Trump’s arraignment. Alas, Wood was too obsessed with the “Star Wars” of it all to talk about Trump with Stewart.
The bit came near the end of the show’s lengthy discussion of the arraignment earlier Tuesday, when Trump was charged with 34 felonies for, among other things, conduct related to the hush money payment he made to porn actress Stormy Daniels, using campaign funds, in 2016.
Wood was at that point focused on the fact that Trump got to skip most of the indignities accused felons normally face after surrendering to police– for instance, he wasn’t handcuffed, authorities didn’t take a mug shot, and he wasn’t strip searched, as is normal procedure in most jurisdictions including New York.
“For the sake of this country, I hope Donald Trump gets a swift trial. But that doesn’t mean he should get to use the TSA pre-check. But, here’s the good news: The New York investigation is just one of many into the former president,” Wood said. “So, we’ll have plenty of other opportunities to get him arrested correctly.”
Following this bit, Wood lamented as the audience clapped that he thought his commentary on Trump’s arraignment was good, “but I don’t know if it’s good enough to go viral. There’s a lot of pressures as guest host. You gotta be funny, you gotta be satirical, you gotta be powerful, you gotta go viral. And I don’t know what to do, I wish I had somebody that I could talk to about this stuff…”
“Roy. Roy,” Stewart’s disembodied voice said, “Use the force Roy.”
“Who that,” Wood asked.
“Roy, use the force,” Stewart continued.
“I don’t f— with ghosts man, who that?” Wood replied.
At that point Stewart entered the stage and removed his hood, leading to big cheers from the audience.
“I knew I knew your ass,” Wood joked. “You’re Obi-Wan Kenobi!”
“I’m, I’m Jon. Stewart. I used to work here when the budget wasn’t as big,” Stewart said
“You worked here?” Wood asked.
“I actually hosted the program,” Stewart said to a disbelieving Wood.
“‘The Daily Show’ had a white host?” Wood asked. “Why are you dressed like Obi-Wan Kenobi?”
“I like to be comfortable,” said Stewart.
Wood, however, kept the discussion focused on “Star Wars,” declaring that he should be Han Solo or Lando, and suggested that Stewart could be Chewbacca or Baby Yoda.
The series has had rotating hosts, including Hasan Minhaj, Marlon Wayans, Kal Penn, Al Franken and John Leguizamo, since Stewart’s handpicked replacement, Trevor Noah, left in in September 2022.
Stewart hosted the political satire show from 1999 to 2015.
Watch the clip above.
