Jon Stewart Slams CNN and NBC, Claims They ‘Refuse to Allow Their Reporters to Come On’ His Podcast: ‘It’s an Embarrassment … Absolute Nonsense’

On his latest “Weekly Show” podcast, Jon Stewart railed against news outlets such as CNN and NBC, claiming that these “organizations that rely on access and transparency refuse to allow their reporters to come on [this] podcast and talk about the issues of the day.”

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“Weekly Show” producer Brittany Mehmedovic chimed in on the difficulty of booking guests on the podcast, saying “it’s unlike anything I’ve really ever seen” in her decade working in journalism. “Phone calls go unanswered,” she said, referring to NBC. “It’s very ‘We’re going to politely decline on this.'”

Stewart said that individual reporters tell him they’d “love to do” the podcast but need to get “network approval,” which they say never comes. When the “Weekly Show” team seeks an explanation from the news outlet, Stewart and co. allegedly get “left on read.”

“I just want people at home to let that sink in for a second,” Stewart said on the July 25 episode . “News organizations stonewall inquiries as to why their reporters are not allowed, are being restricted, from just being able to come on a stupid fucking podcast and give their opinion. Even as just a promotional tool for either the reporter or for the organizations that they work for.”

He continued, “You know, I once heard a wise man say democracy dies in darkness. But how is it possible that a news organization would not feel shame and bewilderment at using the techniques of obfuscation that they rail against from politicians and public figures?”

Lead producer of “The Weekly Show” Lauren Walker offered a potential explanation, saying, “I do imagine that [the news organizations] feel some type of ownership of these journalists that they pay … maybe they don’t want their ideas anywhere else. Or maybe you appear partisan, and they want to avoid.”

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Stewart said CNN “gave us a bunch of shit for trying to bring somebody on.”

“It’s bonkers, and it makes no sense,” he added. “And I would think it’s an embarrassment to those news organizations. And the crazy thing to me is the journalists themselves think it’s insane. It shows the fundamental disconnect between the people that are running these organizations and what these organizations are supposedly there for, which is informing the public on the issues of the day. … Just absolute nonsense.”

It’s worth noting that Stewart did recently host CNN commentator Bakari Sellers on the July 11 episode of “The Weekly Show,” in which they discussed the Democratic party’s path forward, prior to Joe Biden dropping out of the 2024 race.

Variety has reached out to spokespeople from CNN and NBC for comment.

Listen to Stewart’s remarks at the beginning of the video below.

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