A somber Jon Stewart opened up on Wednesday evening’s edition of the Daily Show about the slain staff of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.
Stewart started off by joking about how sad 2014 was, and how he was hoping for a respite in 2015.
Then he commended the staff of Charlie Hebdo for having the courage to do something most comedians never need to do.
“Our hearts are with staff of Charlie Hebdo and their families…I know very few people go into comedy as an act of courage, mainly because it shouldn’t have to be that. It shouldn’t be an act of courage, it should be taken as established law. But those guys at Hebdo had it and they were killed for their cartoons,” Stewart said.
Stewart said the day’s events should help put his comedy in perspective.
“It’s a stark reminder that for the most part the legislators and journalists and institutions that we jab and ridicule are not in any way the enemy,” he said.
“For however frustrating or outraged the back and forth can become, it’s still back and forth, a conversation amongst those on, let’s call it ‘Team Civilization.’ And this type of violence only clarifies that reality,” Stewart said.