The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (lost banned "Leisure World, California" segment of late-night talk show; date unknown)

Promo photo for the show.

Status: Lost

The Daily Show is an American late night talk and news satire program that premiered on Comedy Central on July 22, 1996.

Background

The show was hosted by Craig Kilborn until 1999, when comedian Jon Stewart took over and built it into an iconic institution. Currently it is hosted by comedian Trevor Noah, who replaced Stewart in 2015. The show parodies conventional newscasts, including comedic monologues about the day's headlines, mockumentary-style on-location reports, in-studio segments, and debates among the show's regular correspondents. The host also interviews special guests.

Banned Segment

During a panel appearance at the Paley Center For Media in 2008, comedian and Daily Show correspondent Stephen Colbert said that they had filmed a segment at the historic Leisure World retirement community in Seal Beach, California. It dealt with the residents' efforts to have their planned community - one of the oldest such in the US, having opened in 1962 - incorporated as a town, and their fears that otherwise they would be assimilated into surrounding Orange County. Colbert's interview with the community's leader, Bert Hack, went awry when he and Colbert lightheartedly imitated the Nazi salute when describing the community. On learning this would be used on-air along with exaggerated imagery comparing him to Hitler, Hack, a retired lawyer, quickly sued on the grounds among others that the crew had claimed they were from CNN and not Comedy Central. Eventually a settlement was reached that the segment would not be shown.

Availability

Nothing else is known about the segment. It's likely Comedy Central still have it in their archives, but due to the legal issues surrounding it, it's unlikely to ever be released.

Video

Paley Center For Media Panel where the segment is discussed