Jon Stewart Drops The Humor, Citing The Charleston Church Massacre

The Daily Show host said he was unable to write jokes for Thursday's program after nine people were killed at a historic black church in South Carolina on Wednesday evening.

Jon Stewart cut out his normal humor Thursday night on The Daily Show, instead using his opening monologue to lament shootings — and the ensuing lack of action — like the one in Charleston that left nine dead Wednesday.

Stewart said he had no jokes, because of "what happened in South Carolina."

Stewart went on to say that he is confident that, despite all the death, "we still won't do jack shit."

Stewart also described a "gaping racial wound" in the U.S. that "we pretend doesn't exist."

He criticized a "disparity of response," pointing out that "we invaded two countries" and were willing to do "whatever we can" when foreigners attacked. But when it comes to mass shootings, he said, the response is painfully lacking.

"'Hey, what are you going go to do? Crazy is as crazy is, right?'" Stewart said. "That's the part that, for the life of me, I can't wrap my head around. And you know it, you know, that it's going to go down the same path."

Watch the full video here:

Comedy Central
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