My Favorite Scenes: Jon Stewart on CNN's Crossfire

Genius.

There really is no other term to describe Daily Show host Jon Stewart's appearance on Crossfire in 2004. It was genius because, in 11 minutes flat, he made Tucker Carlson look stupid, questioned the ethics of the media, humiliated CNN, and got the program canceled.

When Stewart appeared on the former CNN program, they assumed he would make jokes about politics, much like he does on his own show. Instead, he took the opportunity to criticize Crossfire and its hosts of what he called "partisan hackery". He criticized the hosts, most notably Tucker Carlson, of failing in its responsibility to inform viewers about politics using debate.

Carlson, obviously embarrassed, tried turning the tables on Stewart by criticizing the questions he asked 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry, but Stewart argued that his show didn't have the responsibility of asking the hard-hitting questions. As Stewart continued bitching out Carlson and the show, he responded "I thought you were gonna be funny". His comeback? "Sorry, I'm not going to be your monkey".

A few months after that episode, CNN pulled the plug on Crossfire and Tucker Carlson. Surprisingly, they did reference that episode in their decision-making.

While Tucker Carlson has bounced back from that disaster, I don't think anyone will forget how Jon Stewart kicked his ass, on his own show.