Jon Stewart Makes Triumphant Return to the ‘Daily Show With Trevor Noah’

Former host calls for support of Congressional bill backing medical care for 9/11 first responders

Comedy Central

Jon Stewart is back on “The Daily Show” — for one night only.

Four months after his high profile retirement, the longtime host returned as a guest on what is now Trevor Noah’s Comedy Central show Monday to call for action on the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.

Supporters hope Congress will vote to extend the program’s health component to help 9/11 first responders, which expired on Oct. 1.

Despite the serious topic, Stewart began his welcome return on a funny note by creeping up behind new host Noah, who politely asked him: “I am sorry, Sir, are you lost?

“F–k, are you here to take the show back?” the South African comedian continued. “I heard about this in American TV.”

Stewart assured him “1,000 times no” and then went on to reveal his real motive. “I actually have this issue and I want to get some attention paid to it … and I realized that I don’t have a show, and nobody gives a f–k anymore.”

“My show is your show,” his replacement told him.

The political satirist went on to explain the issue for Noah, stating that from his experiences, “the only conclusions that I can draw is the people from Congress are not as good a people as the people who are first responders.”

Stewart joined a group of 9/11 responders last Thursday to tour the halls of the U.S. Capitol and visited the offices of senators in hopes of spurring them to pass a permanent Act.

Ailments stemming from the tragedy include respiratory and digestive disorders, cancer and mental health conditions. Stewart first took up the cause of the rescuers in 2010, by devoting an entire show to the issue and inviting survivors on to share their stories.

While the bill seems like a no-brainer, Stewart said it was being held up because of “no brains” and welcomed back first responder Kenny Specht, who told him that 75 percent of the panel who appeared on the show five-and-a-half years ago are “no longer here.”

“With all this talk about terrorism, from the World Trade Center to San Bernardino, the one common link to all of this is the first people on the scene were first responders,” Stewart reminded viewers. “This is the legacy.”

Stewart retired as host of “The Daily Show” on Aug. 6 after 16 years.

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