Comedy Central’s Monday host of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart, and NBC’s Late Night host, Seth Meyers, both attacked Michigan Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens for endorsing Republican Mike Rogers in the state’s Senate race. In terms of the reasoning behind Stevens’s decision, Meyers completely omitted any talk about concerns over anti-Semitism, while Stewart tried to have it both ways.
Stewart was up first and argued Stevens was letting her personal feelings override people’s need for health care, “But that says why you are mad at Abdul, but not why you're for Rogers. Rogers is — hold on, let me find the word — ‘a nightmare’— who is against every principle you've worked for your entire career. I mean, at least say you were visited by three ghosts who convinced you that it turns out people don't need health insurance. This can't really be about getting your feelings hurt.”
Jon Stewart also attacks Haley Stevens, ": But that says why you are mad at Abdul, and not why you're for Rogers. Rogers is — hold on, let me find the word — 'a nightmare' — who is against every principle you've worked for your entire career. I mean, at least say you were… pic.twitter.com/k8rqTGvfZY
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) November 3, 2026
Later, Stewart addressed the fact that Stevens’s fiancé is Jewish, “But by the way, just because he's Jewish, that doesn't mean he's pro-Israel or a Zionist. Judaism is not a monolith! Supporting Netanyahu and their campaign in Gaza doesn't make you Jewish. Although, I will say this: Throwing away all of your personal and professional relationships over a personal perceived slight, that's pretty Jewish! We do do that. If I may, that is pretty, pretty, pretty — that has big ‘Aunt who wasn't asked to light a candle at bar mitzvah’ energy.”
He also continued to mock Stevens for endorsing Rogers, “You see, in Judaism, there is Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, and Curb Your Enthusiasm plotline. ‘You didn't invite me to your party? You didn't invite me to the party? Well, then I am for deportation! Deportation! I say deport! Deport!’”
A Zionist is simply someone who believes Israel should exist. Different people put different adjectives in front of it, but that’s all it is. But after giving cover to the idea that anti-Zionism isn’t a form of anti-Semitism and mocking the possibility that Stevens decided to endorse Rogers over El-Sayed’s anti-Semitism, Stewart tried to have it both ways by suggesting the concerns about anti-Semitism are legitimate:
Man, this split between Haley and Abdul, it raises all sorts of uncomfortable questions about the ability for one issue to split a nascent Democratic coalition. It even brings up this country's relationship with Israel and what emphasis our leaders should be placing on their safety, and how to balance concerns for the tragedy for Palestinians with real concerns about anti-Semitism. These are real nuanced, complex issues. I wonder how our news media will discuss these issues?
Stewart then moved on to mocking the media’s obsession with polling instead of the actual issue. However, later on NBC, Meyers introduced an extended version of the montage he played on Thursday, “But Democrats are especially aghast because after seeking the Democratic nomination and promising to stop Trump, Stevens is now joining him and endorsing one of the most nakedly racist campaigns in modern American history.”
Meyers also bases Haley Stevens, "But Democrats are especially aghast because after seeking the Democratic nomination promising to stop Trump, Stevens is now joining him and endorsing one of the most nakedly racist campaigns in modern American history."
(2/4) pic.twitter.com/wkX82z5LgD— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) November 3, 2026
After the montage concluded with Trump claiming El-Sayed should need to go through a metal detector before being allowed in the Senate, Meyers retorted, “That's both incredibly racist and also impossible. You can't put metal detectors in the Senate. Half of Mitch McConnell’s organs are titanium. ‘I'm sorry, that's my new spleen.’ So that's the campaign Stevens chose to endorse.”
In non-Michigan news, Meyers earlier saw no big deal with Democratic shenanigans in Alaska, “Wait a second, so the Democrats scoured the state looking for guys named Dan Sullivan so they could recruit one of them as a spoiler candidate and siphon votes away from the Republican who is also named Dan Sullivan? Wow, I'm shocked. It pains me to say this, but I have to call balls and strikes. This is very [bleep] funny. I mean, [bleep] A. They finally did it. The Democrats finally did something as dirty as the Republicans.”
Seth Meyers reacts to the Fake Dan Sullivan story by claiming, "It pains me to say this but I have to call balls and strikes. This is very [bleep] funny...The Democrats finally did something as dirty as the Republicans."
After some January 6 talk, he claims "Both parties do… pic.twitter.com/Aez1iOl2Kf— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) November 3, 2026
After some January 6 talk, Meyers added, “Both parties do stuff like this. The difference is this time the Democrats are actually good at it. If anything, they were too good. When Republicans tried to do something dirty, their dip[bleep], no-neck lawyer accidentally holds a press conference at a landscaping company and then leaks hair dye like a Bic just exploded on his head.”
The fact that Meyers can’t even mention the reason behind Stevens’s endorsement but finds dirty tricks in Alaska hilarious neatly sums up how the late night comedy shows have viewed this entire election season.
Here are transcripts for the November 2 show:
Comedy Central The Daily Show
11/2/2026
11:08 PM ET
JON STEWART: But that says why you are mad at Abdul, but not why you're for Rogers. Rogers is — hold on, let me find the word — "a nightmare" — who is against every principle you've worked for your entire career. I mean, at least say you were visited by three ghosts who convinced you that it turns out people don't need health insurance. This can't really be about getting your feelings hurt.
…
But by the way, just because he's Jewish, that doesn't mean he's pro-Israel or a Zionist. Judaism is not a monolith! Supporting Netanyahu and their campaign in Gaza doesn't make you Jewish. Although, I will say this: Throwing away all of your personal and professional relationships over a personal perceived slight, that's pretty Jewish! We do do that. If I may, that is pretty, pretty, pretty — that has big "Aunt who wasn't asked to light a candle at bar mitzvah" energy.
You see, in Judaism, there is Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, and Curb Your Enthusiasm plotline. "You didn't invite me to your party? You didn't invite me to the party? Well, then I am for deportation! Deportation! I say deport! Deport!”
Man, this split between Haley and Abdul, it raises all sorts of uncomfortable questions about the ability for one issue to split a nascent Democratic coalition. It even brings up this country's relationship with Israel and what emphasis our leaders should be placing on their safety, and how to balance concerns for the tragedy for Palestinians with real concerns about anti-Semitism. These are real nuanced, complex issues. I wonder how our news media will discuss these issues?
***
NBC Late Night with Seth Meyers
11/3/2026
12:45 AM ET
SETH MEYERS: Wait a second, so the Democrats scoured the state looking for guys named Dan Sullivan so they could recruit one of them as a spoiler candidate and siphon votes away from the Republican who is also named Dan Sullivan? Wow, I'm shocked. It pains me to say this, but I have to call balls and strikes. This is very [bleep] funny. I mean, [bleep] A. They finally did it. The Democrats finally did something as dirty as the Republicans. I mean, I mean, don't get me wrong. It's not systematically lobbying state election officials to send alternate slates of electors to Congress as part of an illegal scheme to undermine a presidential election and then storming The Capitol to [bleep] in the rotunda and threaten to kill Mike Pence dirty, but it's still pretty dirty. Both parties do stuff like this. The difference is this time the Democrats are actually good at it. If anything, they were too good. When Republicans tried to do something dirty, their dip[bleep], no-neck lawyer accidentally holds a press conference at a landscaping company and then leaks hair dye like a Bic just exploded on his head.
…
MEYERS: But Democrats are especially aghast because after seeking the Democratic nomination and promising to stop Trump, Stevens is now joining him and endorsing one of the most nakedly racist campaigns in modern American history.
DONALD TRUMP: His name is actually Abdullah some— it's Abdullah baba-baba-ba. Mohammed el-Sayed.
TIM SCOTT: His family, they don't just flirt with terrorism, they actually help fund Osama bin Laden.
JOHN KENNEDY: AIPAC, they wouldn't be — they wouldn’t come here if Dr. El-Sayed didn't sleep in a bin Laden jersey.
TED CRUZ: If Abdul El-Sayed becomes the senator for Michigan [jump cut] there is a very real risk that Americans will die as a result.
TRUMP [10/25]: If Abdul and the Democrats win, they will open the floodgates and invite hordes of jihadists to our shores, creating a nightmare of violence and terror until you cannot even have a Christmas.
[11/1]: We don't want to have a jihadist.
[10/25] He would be the only senator that will have to go through a metal detector before he's allowed to go into the Senate. I want him to have a metal detector.
MEYERS: That's both incredibly racist and also impossible. You can't put metal detectors in the Senate. Half of Mitch McConnell’s organs are titanium. [Mitch McConnell voice] "I'm sorry, that's my new spleen." So that's the campaign Stevens chose to endorse.
