Jon Stewart Crashes Roy Wood Jr.'s Hosting Gig in Surprise Appearance on 'The Daily Show'

The Daily Show's former host dropped by Tuesday's set in a hooded Obi-Wan Kenobi cloak, attempting to give guest host Roy Wood Jr. some "sage advice" on Donald Trump's arraignment day

Jon Stewart Crashes Roy Wood Jr.’s Hosting Gig in Surprise Appearance on 'The Daily Show'
Photo: The Daily Show/YouTube

Jon Stewart made a surprise guest appearance on The Daily Show, which he hosted for 16 years.

Crashing guest host Roy Wood Jr.'s slot on Tuesday dressed as cult Star Wars character Obi-Wan Kenobi, Stewart stopped by in an attempt to give some "sage advice" on the historical day of former president Donald Trump's arraignment.

"Today was one for the history books," Wood Jr. began, calling it "the craziest day in New York since the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man came to town (a reference to the Ghostbusters fictional character).

On Tuesday, Trump plead not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying records in relation to an alleged hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels while running for president in 2016.

Wood Jr., 44, a longtime correspondent on the show, then went on to talk about the "pressure" of succeeding on the hit political comedy program as this week's host.

"You've got to be funny, you've got to be satirical, you've got to be powerful, you know, you've got to go viral," he shared. "And I don't know what to do. I just wish I had somebody I could talk to, to guide me through some of this stuff, man."

Suddenly, Wood. Jr heard an ominous voice repeating: "Roy, use the Force, Roy," — a voice that turned out to be Stewart, who walked on set in a long brown cloak concealing his face with the hood. He then slipped back into his normal voice, taking a seat at his former table as the audience cheered on.

Jon Stewart Crashes Roy Wood Jr.’s Hosting Gig in Surprise Appearance on 'The Daily Show'
The Daily Show/YouTube

Continuing the schtick, Wood Jr. said "I know you," multiple times, adding "I knew I knew yo' a**. You're Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"I'm Jon ... Stewart. I used to work here when the budget wasn't as big," joked Stewart, who left the Comedy Central series in 2015.

Comedian Trevor Noah took over Stewart's spot up until last year. The show has continued to use guest hosts until they decide on a permanent replacement.

"The Daily Show had a white host?" Wood Jr. cracked as they proceeded to argue over what Star Wars characters they wanted to be. "I think it'd make more sense if I were the wise sage who mentors the young host," Stewart replied, claiming his stake after some more squabbling.

"The thing is this Roy, and thank you for having me on the program," Stewart said, turning more serious. "And you're doing a fabulous job by the way. The thing about this historic indictment is that American jurisprudence—"

"I think we're out of time," Wood Jr. jokingly interjected, thanking Stewart and taking back control of his show before cutting to commercial.


Holding his own in the political arena, it was announced in February that Wood Jr. will host the White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner on April 29.

According to a release by the organization on Feb. 2, the Imperfect Messenger comedian studied broadcast journalism at Florida A&M University in the late 1990s and has a special passion for news.

"It's an honor to be a part of a long-running tradition of celebrating those members of the media, who work so hard to uncover the truth, and hold our government accountable," Wood Jr. said in the WHCA release. "It will be a great night that will go down in the history books, or not, depending on which state you live in."

Jon Stewart Crashes Roy Wood Jr.’s Hosting Gig in Surprise Appearance on 'The Daily Show'
The Daily Show/YouTube

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As for Stewart, the TV personality returned to his talk show roots in 2021 with The Problem with Jon Stewart, which premiered on Apple TV+. He has also written and directed films as well as authored two books.

Last April, the comedian and political commentator became the 23rd recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. While accepting the award on April 24 at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Stewart opened up about the important role comedy plays in society: "Comedy survives every moment."

"Comedy doesn't change the world, but it's a bellwether. We're the banana peel in the coal mine," he added, per The Hill. "When society is under threat, comedians are the ones who get sent away first. Authoritarians are the threat to comedy, to music, to thought, to poetry."

The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11pm ET/PT on Comedy Central.

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