Jon Stewart told his audience on Thursday night that he would not be doing a regular show after the killing of nine people in a historically black church in Charleston, S.C. on Wednesday.
“I didn’t do my job today, so I apologize,” the host of “The Daily Show” told his audience. “I’ve got nothing for you in terms of jokes and sounds, because of what happened in South Carolina.”
“Maybe if I wasn’t nearing the end of the run, or if this wasn’t such a common occurence, maybe I could have pulled out the spiral, but I didn’t,” he said. “So, I honestly have nothing.”
He said he still couldn’t fathom how America could invade two countries, lose thousands of lives, and end up flying drones over the globe, while leaving so much unfinished business at home.
The host refused to call the shooting a tragedy.
“This wasn’t a tornado, this was a racist,” he said. “I hate to even use this pun, but this one, is black and white. There’s no nuance here.”
He pointed out how the Confederate flag still flies over South Carolina while its streets are named after the Southern army’s generals.
“We’re bringing it on ourselves,” Stewart said.
“Sorry about no jokes,” he concluded. He spent the rest of the show interviewing Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.
Watch the clip:
