Meghan McCain fears Jon Stewart's Daily Show return over 'creature he's morphed into'

"I found him to be the most woke, I didn’t recognize the Jon that I grew up loving," McCain said.

Jon Stewart's grand return to The Daily Show is being met with... a little bit of animosity from former View cohost and political commentator Meghan McCain.

One day after it was announced that the comedian would once again appear on the Comedy Central late-night talk show after previously fronting the series from 1999 to 2015, McCain roasted Stewart on Thursday's episode of her Meghan McCain Has Entered the Chat podcast.

“I was horrified at the sort of creature he has morphed into. I found him to be the most woke, I didn’t recognize the Jon that I grew up loving. Now, he’s coming back to The Daily Show," McCain said of Stewart, whom she admitted to being a fan of when he first rose to prominence at the center of the program, though she lost interest when he became more critical of conservative voices in politics.

She later posed questions to her guest, Joe Concha, pointedly asking the Fox News contributor, "Why can’t they pick a f---ing host, permanently?” with reference to the revolving door of guests who've filled in for Trevor Noah, who took over for Stewart and later departed in December 2022.

McCain also expressed concern over not knowing “which version of Jon Stewart" she's going to get when he sits behind the Daily Show desk once again.

"At a certain point, when does making money and having people watch your s--- matter? Because if it’s just going to be MSNBC, but by a comedian, what’s the point of it, or is this going to slag on forever like zombies into the darkness?" she finished.

Meghan McCain attends the 26th annual GLAAD Media Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on March 21, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. , Jon Stewart poses in the press room at the 67th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 20, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.
Meghan McCain; Jon Stewart.

Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic (2)

EW has reached out to representatives for Stewart for comment.

In addition to his time on The Daily Show, Stewart has also directed feature films, including 2014's Rosewater and the 2020 political comedy Irresistible. He also hosted the short-lived series The Problem With Jon Stewart for two seasons, before it was canceled by Apple TV+ in October 2023.

Listen to the Meghan McCain Has Entered the Chat podcast above.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

Related Articles