Was I really THAT bad?

Comparison:

Social media is after that show. Then you have to ride home in the cab with them while they talk about how bad you were.

Jon Stewart and Trevor Noah discuss the social, political, and cultural impact of the rise of social media. Steward builds a story about performing in front of an audience at the Comedy Cellar in NYC and in the audience are what Noah calls "plus-ones" who aren't really into the comedy or the performance. Stewart builds on that image by placing you in a long cab ride with that person as a worthy bridge to understanding social media. Does social media make you feel bad? Would you have used a cab ride with a discouraging person to capture that dynamic? Trevor Noah thought it a "great analogy."

Context:

[Jon Stewart]

But what social media is, is like when we do a gig, whenever you do a gig, there's always people that aren't digging it. You feel it.

[Trevor Noah]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Jon Stewart]

You work the, you know, the Cellar. There's always going to be a couple of tables that are like,

[Trevor Noah]

. . . yeah, yeah, the plus-one's the ones I know.

It's the people who came with a friend didn't necessarily come for you or the comedy.

[Jon Stewart]

That's right.

[Trevor Noah:]

And they're like,let's see what happens.

[Jon Stewart]

We're not we're not down.

[Trevor Noah:] Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

It wouldn't bother you the in the moment then you go upstairs, you have a plate of hummus with your friends, you start goofing off. All the sudden you walk away. Social media is after that show. Then you have to ride home in the cab with them while they talk about how bad you were.

[Trevor Noah] Geez, I love that.

[Jon Stewart]

And that's so it's, it's there to get you.

[Trevor Noah]

Man. That's such a great analogy.

Citation:

Noah, Trevor. “Jon Stewart – One of My Favorite People.” What Now? with Trevor Noah Podcast. YouTube, 28 June 2025. Web.

(Image design by Lee Aigue; base image courtesy of Bing, July 2025.)