‘The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart Tearfully Breaks The News Of His Dog’s Death On Air: “He Was Ready … But I Wasn’t”

Dogs truly are a man’s best friend. Just ask Jon Stewart.

On last night’s (Feb. 26) installment of The Daily Show, Stewart broke the news that his dog Dipper died on Sunday (Feb. 25), per The Daily Beast.

“He was ready,” he shared. “He was tired. But I wasn’t. And the family, we were all together — thank goodness, we were all with him. But boy, my wish for you is one day, you find that dog, that one dog that just — it’s the best.”

Earlier on, he reflected on how Dipper came into he and his family’s lives approximately 12 or 13 years prior, noting how his children “wanted to raise a little money for an animal shelter down in New York City.”

“So they were little, six, seven years old. So we baked a couple of cupcakes and rolled on down to Animal Haven and set up a little table right outside and put the cupcakes out,” he recalled. “And as a little extra incentive, they brought out this one-ish-year-old brindle pitbull who — fuck. “

Stewart became emotional, as he secured a box of tissues and then swiftly returned them to a spot under his desk. He continued on, explaining that the dog had been “hit by a car in Brooklyn and lost his right leg.”

“I thought I’d get further,” he confessed.

While he acknowledged that they “left that day feeling really good that [they’d] helped this great organization,” he also said that they left with the aforementioned furry friend, who came to be known as Dipper.

“In a world of good boys, he was the best,” he said of his late pet.

Stewart remembered Dipper coming to The Daily Show “every day” during his tenure, and being a member of “the OG Daily Show dog crew,” through which “he met actors and authors and presidents and kings” that appeared on the show. In an on-brand moment for Stewart, he infused some comedy into the emotional moment.

“He did what the Taliban could not do,” he began, “which is put a scare into Malala Yousafzai.”

He then showed footage of Yousafzai fleeing from Dipper backstage as she exclaimed, “Oh, dear! It’s a dog!”

After sharing the news of Dipper’s passing, Stewart employed the show’s trademark “Moment of Zen” to showcase a video of Dipper running around in the snow.

The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11/10c on Comedy Central. Next-day streaming is available on Paramount+. Watch a clip from last night’s episode above.