“The Daily Show’s” election night special started off rocky on Tuesday, as Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman canceled an appearance just seconds before it was slated to begin.
Pennsylvania is the site of an incredibly narrow and potentially decisive count in the presidential race, where Harris’ campaign is considering it and its two fellow blue-wall states must-wins.
“He is unable to join us, but because we are a professional and venerated news show, it’s not like I just have to sit here,” Stewart said, later joking that he was left with “nothing to do, just because somebody said [he couldn’t make it] 30 seconds before we were supposed to have him as a guest.”
In between jabs, he allowed silence to build before awkward chuckles from the audience broke it.
The senator, who won his seat in 2022, previously expressed confidence in a Harris win and a smoother counting process in 2020.
“It’s certainly not going to be like it was in 2020,” Fetterman told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Sunday.
Stewart made his frustration clear but pivoted on a dime, quickly moving on to an interview with Arizona Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs, which the governor noted was a fill-in gig.
“Unfortunately, because I have trouble pivoting, I am only gonna ask you questions about Pennsylvania,” Stewart joked at the outset of the interview.
It took the host through the commercial break to get over the last-minute pull-out, looping back around for a blow at the senator.
“In the race to be my best friend between Senator Fetterman and Governor Hobbs, Governor Hobbs wins by a jillion,” Stewart jabbed.
Stewart, whose tenure at “The Daily Show” has been extended through December of next year, has headlined a live election night broadcast in nearly every presidential race since 2000, navigating nail-biter nights including the 2016 race in which Trump outperformed expectations.
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