Jon Stewart discussed the recent antisemitic remarks from Kanye West and Kyrie Irving while appearing on Apple Music 1’s The Message with Ebro Darden. Both West and Irving have faced backlash in recent weeks for sharing antisemitic messages online.
“I don’t know them at all – Kyrie and Kanye – but I know enough Black Israelites to know where they’re coming from, and I know what their message is,” Stewart said on the show, as noted by AllHipHop. “When Kanye says something like, ‘I can’t be anti-semitic because I’m a Jew.’ What he’s saying is, and I think it’s important for people to know this, what he’s saying is he’s the real Jew.”
The former Daily Show comedian continued: “And this has been what has, and pardon the pun, bedeviled the Jewish community for millennia is this idea that they are imposters. And imposters with an agenda… I think ultimately if that’s where you’re coming from, I think you can see how that ideology would be somewhat dangerous and would lead to all measures of dehumanization.”
From there, he addressed the antisemitic conspiracy theory regarding Jewish presence in the media. In doing so, he compared the demographics to that of the Irish population in the police force.
“It’s sort of like when they say, ‘Oh, the Jews control the media.’ Because everybody now, here’s what they say, ‘Kanye and Kyrie – that’s fucked up what they said. But there are a lot of Jews in Hollywood.’ Right, because they were kept out of everywhere else,” he said.
Stewart added: “But it’s like saying, ‘You know the Irish control law and order. I don’t want to say anything but all the cops, and if you think about it, and they’re all controlling it.’ You’re confusing businesses that have connections through similar interests and similar oppression with devious control and subversion.”
In the wake of West's antisemitic comments, numerous brands bailed on partnerships with him. Similarly, the Brooklyn Nets suspended Irving for several games.
While best known for his long tenure as the host of The Daily Show, Stewart now leads The Problem on Apple TV+
[Via]