Former “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart surprised this week’s guest host, Roy Wood Jr., on Tuesday night when he came out dressed like Obi-Wan Kenobi. As the longest-serving host of the show, the comparison fit.
Stewart was there, as it happens, to help Wood go viral with his coverage of Donald Trump’s arraignment. Alas, Wood was too obsessed with the “Star Wars” of it all to talk about the former president with Stewart.
The bit came near the end of the show’s lengthy discussion of the arraignment earlier Tuesday, when Trump was charged with 34 felony counts for, among other things, conduct related to the hush money payment he made allegedly using campaign funds to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in 2016.
Wood was, at that point, focused on the fact that Trump got to skip most of the indignities accused felons normally face after surrendering to police– for instance, he wasn’t handcuffed, authorities didn’t take a mug shot and he wasn’t strip searched, as is normal procedure in most jurisdictions including New York.
“For the sake of this country, I hope Donald Trump gets a swift trial. But that doesn’t mean he should get to use the TSA pre-check” Wood said. “But here’s the good news: The New York investigation is just one of many into the former president. So we’ll have plenty of other opportunities to get him arrested correctly.”
Following this bit, Wood lamented as the audience clapped that he thought his commentary on Trump’s arraignment was good, “but I don’t know if it’s good enough to go viral. There’s a lot of pressures as guest host. You gotta be funny, you gotta be satirical, you gotta be powerful, you gotta go viral. And I don’t know what to do, I wish I had somebody that I could talk to about this stuff…”
“Roy. Roy,” Stewart’s disembodied voice said, “Use the force Roy.”
“Who that?” Wood asked.
“Roy, use the force,” Stewart continued.
“I don’t f–k with ghosts man, who that?” Wood replied.
At that point Stewart entered the stage and removed his hood, leading to big cheers from the audience.
“I knew I knew your ass,” Wood joked. “You’re Obi-Wan Kenobi!”
“I’m, I’m Jon. Stewart. I used to work here when the budget wasn’t as big,” Stewart said
“You worked here?” Wood asked.
“I actually hosted the program,” Stewart said to a disbelieving Wood.
“‘The Daily Show’ had a white host?” Wood asked. “Why are you dressed like Obi-Wan Kenobi?”
“I like to be comfortable,” said Stewart.
Stewart tried to steer the conversation to the topic at hand (Trump), but Wood was more interested in talking about “Star Wars,” and who he’d be in this scenario. “I don’t wanna be Luke Skywalker,” Wood said.
“Why the f–k wouldn’t you want to be Luke Skywalker?” Stewart asked.
“Luke Skywalker kissed his sister!” Wood, accurately, explained. ” I wanna be Han Solo instead. Han Solo was badass, Han Solo was cool. He had the ship. You can be Chewbacca.”
“Why would I want to be, like, a wolf-ape,” Stewart said. “Look, I think it makes more sense if I were the wise sage who mentors the young host, and not the wolf-ape. Also, I cannot return this robe. What happened was, the events that took place in this robe –“
“Yeah but if you’re Obi-Wan,” Wood said, interrupting Stewart, “and I’m Luke, does that mean my dad is Vader? Because if my dad is Darth Vader does that mean Donald Trump is my dad?”
“Why would Donald Trump be your father?” Stewart asked.
“Because, if I’m Luke and Trump is Vader, that means Trump killed you!” Wood replied.
“Fine, you’re Han Solo, I’m Baby Yoda. Fine,” Stewart declared. “The point is…”
“Why can’t you be regular Yoda?” Wood asked.
“What the f–k are you talking about?” Stewart said. “I should have come when Silverman was here.”
“How about, you be Yoda, because you’re all hobbled and green and s–t,” Wood offered, “and I’ll be Lando. For obvious reasons.”
“Is this a trap?” Stewart asked, nervously.
Watch the whole segment at the top of the page now. Stewart appears around the 10:00 mark.
Since previous permanent host Trevor Noah stepped down last year, “The Daily Show” has had a succession of guest hosts, including Hasan Minhaj, Marlon Wayans, Sarah SIlverman, Kal Penn, Al Franken and John Leguizamo.
Stewart, of course, hosted from 1999 to 2015.
