How Jon Stewart Might Have Saved Rick Sanchez’s Career

Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 04:59 pm

Even if he wanted to Jon Stewart could not ignore the comments and subsequent firing of former CNN anchor Rick Sanchez, and after various bits including one comparing Sanchez to Michael Scott of The Office, Stewart got serious, played a clip of Sanchez going off a bigot and said, “See, I think that’s what that guy really thinks about that.”

Here is the video from Comedy Central:

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Besides all the excellent comedy, Stewart delivered a social point and showed not only class, but forgiveness, even before he played a clip of Sanchez blasting a neo-Nazi bigot. He said “Here’s the deal, if CNN got rid of Rick Sanchez because they didn’t his show, fine. We weren’t that crazy about it either, but if they fired him for making some intemperate statements and some banal Jew baiting, I gotta tell ya I’m not even sure Sanchez believes what he is saying, because I know when Rick Sanchez has time to think things through, and doesn’t necessarily think he is about to get fired anyway, he has a slightly different take on the topic.”

After the clip, he continued, “Rick Sanchez consider yourself unbusted. Although, I thought you were a little hard on that guy’s mustache. See, I think that’s what they guy really thinks about that, and so perhaps the silver lining of this situation is it’s a chance for all of us to get in touch with not our dirtier but our better Sanchezs, perhaps even, words to live by. I think the guy’s probably got a good heart. Perhaps even CNN will be now looking to use his vacated time slot to get in touch with their better Sanchez, and starve parasites like myself, by putting on quality news and discussion.” Then he showed a bit of the promo for CNN’s Spitzer/Parker, and said, “Jonny hungry!!!”

Stewart’s response was interesting because he managed to take a situation where he was the target of some very bigoted remarks and use it to reinforce his message about the media. He first took aim at all of the overblown descriptions of his initial scant reference to Sanchez during an autism benefit, and he hammered home at the end of the segment, his larger point that cable news needs to stop with shows like Sanchez’s formerly hosted two hours of newstainment fluff, and give people quality programming about the news.

At the end of this if Rick Sanchez has a career left, he should thank Jon Stewart. The Daily Show host didn’t need to play a clip of Sanchez going off an a neo-Nazi and offering an opposite opinion on the “Jew media,” but he did, and by saying that he thought Sanchez had a good a heart, and that he thought that he didn’t really believe his statements, Stewart might have opened the door to Rick Sanchez someday rebuilding his career.

An Anti-Semitic or racist remark by anyone who works in front of a camera is usually a career killer. Sanchez’s comments ventured into Mel Gibson territory, and I think Stewart even in his comedy had Rick Sanchez nailed. Sanchez was the cable news equivalent of Michael Scott. I must admit that when I watched Sanchez’s show, I did it because he seemed to be a goofball and a flake. Just as Michael Scott is always putting his foot in his mouth so was Sanchez. It was very generous of Stewart to say that Rick Sanchez like the fictional Michael Scott has a good heart.

Even though my initial reaction was that Rick Sanchez was trying to get fired, the Jews run the media, anti-Antisemitism is so toxic, that I agree with Jon Stewart. I don’t think this was intentional. There are lots of ways to get fired that don’t ruin an entire career. I think Sanchez was pissed at Stewart and Colbert for their endless and justified needling of him, and his angry remarks took him to a bad place.

That being said, notice that Stewart never went as far as to expressly say that Rick Sanchez should not have been fired, but larger point was that CNN maybe should have looked at their own tapes and Sanchez’s previous remarks on the very same subject before they gave him the axe. As usual, Jon Stewart did a better job with the media than the media does with themselves.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association