Comedy Central’s The Daily Show claims to be a comedy show, but temp host Kal Penn and husband of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Chasten Buttigieg, turned it into the joke police on Thursday while condemning a recent joke told by former Vice President Mike Pence at Pete’s expense.
Penn set the table by reporting, “At the Gridiron Dinner in Washington, D.C., that’s a dinner where politicians are known to make humorous speeches—”
After Buttigieg interrupted to add “they try,” Penn continued “They try, yes. Vice President Mike Pence made a joke about your husband taking paternity leave and he referred to it as ‘maternity leave’ and when I saw that, my biggest reaction was, really? You're just going to recycle a 1998 joke that’s, like, been around forever, but what was your reaction?”
If Penn found the joke boring, that would be one thing, but Buttigieg insisted it was much worse, “I mean, I think ‘joke’ is being generous.”
For Buttigieg, Pence is simply part of a larger trend, “It’s a sad trend of people on the other side, you know, using homophobia and misogyny to try to make a point. I mean, he’s trying to launch a presidential campaign and, you know, for my experience in presidential politics, it's about who you bring into the fold, right? What you inspire people to believe, believe in a better version of America, especially in those early days.”
The fact that the Buttigieges don’t know anything about successful presidential campaigns aside, Chasten concluded, “So, I guess that’s how he wants to start his campaign which I don't think is surprising to any of us.”
Ignoring that they just spent the first minute of Buttigieg’s book tour talking about Mike Pence, Penn declared that they were going to ignore him, “Okay, so in that case, he's using us to be relevant and we’re going to move on we’re just not give him—not give him that time.”
For years, the late night comedy shows have attacked Republicans in similar terms and The Daily Show didn’t care, but one joke about the Secretary of Transportation being absent for months during a crisis that concerns his department and it appoints itself as the authoritative source on what jokes are inappropriate.
This segment was sponsored by Tide.
Here is a transcript for the March 16 show:
Comedy Central The Daily Show
3/16/2023
11:27 PM ET
KAL PENN: At the Gridiron Dinner in Washington, D.C., that’s a dinner where politicians are known to make humorous speeches—
CHASTEN BUTTIGIEG: They try.
PENN: They try, yes. Vice President Mike Pence made a joke about your husband taking paternity leave and he referred to it as "maternity leave" and when I saw that, my biggest reaction was, really? You're just going to recycle a 1998 joke that’s, like, been around forever?
BUTTIGEG: Yeah.
PENN: But what was your reaction?
BUTTIGIEG: I mean, I think "joke" is being generous.
PENN: Yeah.
BUTTIGIEG: And especially at The Daily Show.
PENN: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course.
BUTTIGIEG: It’s a sad trend of people on the other side, you know, using homophobia and misogyny to try to make a point. I mean, he’s trying to launch a presidential campaign and, you know, for my experience in presidential politics, it's about who you bring into the fold, right? What you inspire people to believe, believe in a better version of America, especially in those early days.
So, I guess that’s how he wants to start his campaign which I don't think is surprising to any of us.
PENN: Okay, so in that case, he's using us to be relevant and we’re going to move on—
BUTTIGIEG: Exactly.
PENN: -- we’re just not give him—not give him that time.
