Former "The Daily Show" Jon Stewart spoke about the vital roles that comedians play in a democracy and how they're the ones that usually get tossed out first during difficult times, along with arts, music, and poetry.
Stewart accepted the Mark Twain Prize this past weekend, and he stood up for comedy in a cancel culture era during his speech.
"We're the banana peel in the coal mine," Stewart said. "When society is under threat, comedians are the ones who get sent away first. It's just a reminder to people that democracy is under threat. Authoritarians are the threat to comedy, to art, to music, to thought, to poetry."
The former late-night host discussed the difficulties of being a comedian, and he recognized a threat to comedy in highly-charged times but stated comedy "survives every moment."
"When you're a comic, you look in a room, and 200 seats are facing one way. And there's one stool, and it has a light shining on it, and you walk into that room and go, 'That's gonna be my chair,' " Stewart said.. "And you spend the rest of your career trying to earn that stool."
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