Hamilton Nolan | Gawker
In late September, Jon Stewart appeared at a Manhattan Barnes & Noble to promote his new book. A 9/11 Truther shouted some “9/11 truth” questions at him. Afterwards, a Daily Show executive producer punched that Truther in the face.
The video below is a summary of what went down–a summary edited by the guy who got punched, yes, but you’ll get the idea. As Matt Meyer of WeAreChange.org tells it, after Stewart’s appearance–during which Meyer was being a typical Truther asshole– he went outside to wait for Stewart, to try to ask him a follow-up question. Some Daily Show staffers came out first, and the two groups started arguing.
As the video shows, at least two Daily Show staffers got in Matt’s face. One, executive producer and writer (and stand-up comedian) Rory Albanese, challenged the Truther to a fight. After some jawing back and forth, Albanese allegedly punched Matt in the jaw. The punch doesn’t appear on the video, but Matt shows off a bruise afterwards.
The next day, September 28, Rory Albanese was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault. He’s scheduled to appear in court November 18. We contacted Comedy Central for a comment. “The answer is “no comment,'” a spokesperson replied.
Interestingly, although the incident happened six weeks ago, it doesn’t seem to have been reported in the “mainstream” press since it happened–only in smaller, 9/11-oriented blogs and on the website ValleyScanner. Pretty amazing, especially given the easy joke to be made by juxtaposing Albanese’s arrest with Jon Stewart’s huge rally calling on everyone to be nice to each other. Not that we’d ever make such a cheap joke ourselves.
[Photo of Jon Stewart and Rory Albanese via Getty]
The original version of the story appears here: http://gawker.com/5685571/jon-stewarts-producer-arrested-for-punching-heckler
Gawker dishes the nation’s most current and cutting gossip across media, entertainment, technology, and business. Founded in 2002 and namechecked frequently in mainstream publications, the site is essential reading for those who want big media hypocrisy debunked and faux-sincerity exposed, all with a healthy dose of snark.
