Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

Jon Stewart Asks Bar Mitzvah Boy: Why Did You Diss Me?

(JTA) — Will Rubin of Media, Penn., is a major Jimmy Kimmel fan. So major, in fact, that the theme of his recent bar mitzvah party was “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

Kimmel, naturally, invited Rubin onto the show to talk about his big day — but, in a hilarious move, former “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart makes a surprise appearance in the studio, seemingly offended that he wasn’t the newly minted man’s first choice.

“I’m Jon Stewart, I’m a talk show host as well. I was. A few years ago,” the funnyman says. “And I’m a Jew.”

“You probably had your choice of really, you know, of idolizing any talk show host, and you could have gone with a Jew,” he deadpans.

The bit goes on with Stewart ribbing Kimmel for not being a member of the tribe. “Don’t be fooled by his learned-looking beard and his puffy, sad eyes,” he quips. “He’s not rabbinical — he’s just unhealthy.”

While Kimmel — who dated comedian Sarah Silverman for several years — is often mistaken as a Jew, he was raised Roman Catholic and was once an altar boy.

Kimmel, for his part, laughs his way through Stewart’s bit, suggesting this compromise to Rubin: “Maybe you can have a Jon Stewart-themed wedding.”

Watch the full clip here.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.