Jon Stewart Faces Online Pushback After Going All In On Covid-19 Lab Leak Theory
Topline
The highly anticipated return of Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show to the Ed Sullivan Theater with a full-capacity live audience stoked controversy among some viewers on Monday after the show’s guest, comedian Jon Stewart, appeared to strongly push the theory that Covid-19 originated from a lab in Wuhan, China—one of the possibilities currently being investigated by U.S. intelligence—leading to pushback from some scientists.
File photo of Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart appearing on “The Daily Show.”
Getty Images for Comedy Central
Key Facts
Monday night’s show was the first episode in over 15 months to be shot at the Ed Sullivan Theater and in front of a packed studio audience, who had to provide proof that they were vaccinated.
Stewart—who is an executive producer of the late-night talk show—appeared as a guest and started the interview segment by stating that people owed a great debt of gratitude to science for helping ease the suffering of the pandemic, “which was more than likely caused by science.”
Colbert then asked Stewart if he perhaps believed the Covid-19 “lab leak” theory, to which Stewart immediately replied that “it was a little too weird” that the coronavirus was first detected in Wuhan, China where there is a “novel respiratory coronavirus lab.”
While Colbert suggested that the lab leak may one of the possible origins of the pandemic and should be investigated, Stewart joked about when scientists who worked at the lab are asked about the virus’ origin they respond with “pangolin kissed a turtle” or “maybe a bat flew into the cloaca of a turkey and then it sneezed into my chili.”
Colbert tried to poke fun at Stewart by asking him how long he had worked for former Republican Senator Ron Johnson, who has strongly pushed the Wuhan lab leak theory, but Stewart pushed back, claiming that this was “not a conspiracy” but a “problem with science” which he believes tends to go too far sometimes.
Crucial Quote
At the end of the segment, Stewart appeared to couch his comments a little bit by speaking directly to the camera and stating: “I have been alone so long. And when I realized that the laboratory was having the same name—first name and last name—of the evil that had been plaguing us, I thought to myself, that’s f—d up.” But in a later segment, he continued to push the idea that scientists don’t know when to quit—pointing to the creation of the atomic bomb as an example—and claimed that they may one day be responsible for the end of humanity.
Chief Critic
American neurophysiologist and radio host Dr. Kiki Sanford tweeted: “I saw the clip and am concerned to see Stewart promoting the conspiracy… even if it’s just for laughs.” Sanford noted that she sees the joke Stewart was trying to make but said “it is at the expense of people who know a LOT about this kind of thing working really hard to figure out where the virus DID come from. The ‘well it must be’ narrative isn’t science.” Others responded to Sanford’s tweet noting that Stewart’s segment was both “disappointing and tragic.”
Key Background
The origin of the Covid-19 outbreak is still unknown and scientists, the World Health Organisation (WHO), and several world leaders are pushing for a new, more thorough investigation into how it emerged. Several experts, including America’s top infectious disease official Dr. Anthony Fauci, believe that the virus likely jumped from bats to humans through an intermediate animal host. However, the lab leak theory—initially pushed by fringe groups—has seen a rise in mainstream interest after President Joe Biden last month ordered U.S. intelligence agencies to examine the origin of the pandemic. U.S. intelligence agencies have two prevailing theories at the moment with branches believing that it was transmitted from animals, while another branch believes it came from a lab at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which does research work on bat viruses. The virus was first detected in Wuhan, China in late 2019 and many believe it may have originated from the city’s live animal markets. The Chinese government, however, has tried to push its own theory that the virus was imported into the country through frozen food.
Further Reading
Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ Requires Proof Of Vaccination—Like SNL And BET Awards—As Audiences Return (Forbes)
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