Jon Stewart to Trump: 'You did a good thing' on veteran PTSD treatments
Jon Stewart routinely derides President Donald Trump on his Comedy Central infotainment show. This week, however, the cynical liberal found himself reluctantly celebrating the president over a new mental health initiative that could greatly impact afflicted veterans.
Trump signed an executive order on Saturday aimed at accelerating research and removing barriers to psychedelic drugs — including hallucinogenic ibogaine compounds, psilocybin, and LSD — as potential treatments for serious mental illnesses, including PTSD and depression.
'Credit where credit is due.'
In addition to tasking Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary with reducing product application review times for psychedelic drugs that have received breakthrough therapy designations for treating mental illnesses, Trump ordered the FDA and Drug Enforcement Agency to create a pathway for eligible patients to access investigational psychedelic drugs.
Per the order, the Department of Health and Human Services and the FDA must also work with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the private sector "to increase clinical trial participation, data sharing, and real-world evidence generation regarding psychedelic drugs, and shall prioritize drugs that have received a Breakthrough Therapy designation." Fifty million dollars will also be provided for state-level research into ibogaine.
The White House noted in a fact sheet that over 14 million American adults suffer from a serious mental illness; suicide rates remain alarmingly high; and the suicide rate among veterans is more than double that of the nonveteran adult population.
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Afforded an opportunity to speak at the signing ceremony on Saturday, podcaster Joe Rogan revealed that the ball got rolling on the executive order after he "sent President Donald Trump some information" about ibogaine.
Trump confirmed the genesis of the initiative, noting that Rogan "wrote me a little note about this, and I had it checked out. I didn't just do it. ... I went to [HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] and [Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz] and went to some of the people that work for you, real pros, and everybody came back with the same answer."
"Everybody thought it was incredible, and I told Bobby, I said, 'Bobby, let's just do it, and get Oz involved," added Trump.
The president noted at the EO signing that "these experimental treatments have shown life-changing potential for those suffering from severe mental illness and depression, including our cherished veterans."
On the April 20 episode of his show, Jon Stewart alerted his liberal audience that he wanted to "give credit where credit is due. We don't, obviously, often do this."
"The president did a solid over the weekend," said Stewart. "President Trump signed an executive order in front of his fraternity brothers fast-tracking the FDA process for novel psychedelic drug treatments for veterans suffering from all forms of PTSD and other psychiatric conditions, including addiction."
After playing tape from the EO signing and reflexively attacking the president over his unscripted remarks, Stewart stopped himself and said, "I'm sorry. I'm falling into old habits. It's good. You did a good thing. I'm nitpicking. I apologize."
Stewart noted further, "A lot of the people are going to get the help they need."
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CBS to replace Stephen Colbert with actual comedy
CBS will waste no time looking for laughs after "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" ends its near-11-year run.
Colbert has faced consistent scrutiny since reports surfaced of his show's alleged $40 million annual losses against a $100 million budget. Now, the finish line is fast approaching as his show nears its May 21 finale.
'The world can never have enough laughter.'
CBS will reportedly waste no time replacing Colbert and is moving right along with a new lineup for the 11:35 p.m. time slot on May 22.
Giggle gang
According to The Hill, Colbert's late-night talk show is set to be replaced by a pair of half-hour programs featuring actual comedians.
First, back-to-back episodes of "Comics Unleashed" will air in Colbert's soon-to-be former slot, moving up an hour from where it sits currently. The show features panels of bantering stand-up comics that have ranged from newbies to legends like Dennis Miller, Bert Kreischer, John Lovitz, and more.
Moving into the 12:35 a.m. slot is "Funny You Should Ask," a reboot of the 1968 classic of the same name. The format has celebrities and comedians answer trivia questions, while contestants have to determine if they are giving the right answer.
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Nothing personal
CBS said in 2025 that its cancellation of Colbert's show was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night."
They added, "It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content, or other matters happening at Paramount."
This came around the same time that CBS News' parent company, Paramount, paid a $16 million settlement to President Trump. The lawsuit claimed the network deceptively edited an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris during her 2024 presidential election campaign, the Guardian reported.
Colbert called the settlement "a big fat bribe."
Happy meal
Both shows replacing Colbert are produced by comedian Byron Allen, who has pushed out a steady stream of TV shows and movies over the past two decades.
Allen told The Hill that "Comics Unleashed" is a platform for comedians to simply "make people laugh," adding that he truly appreciates CBS for "picking up our two-hour comedy block."
"The world can never have enough laughter," Allen added.
The 64-year-old is on the board of governors of the Motion Picture & Television Fund, along with other Hollywood staples like director J.J. Abrams, actor Colin Farrell, and rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. The fund describes itself as supporting "working and retired members of the entertainment community with a safety net of health and social services.
In 2025, Variety reported that Allen reached a settlement with McDonald's after filing a $10 billion lawsuit against the food chain. The lawsuit alleged that McDonald's discriminated against black-owned media companies in its TV advertising expenditures.
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Jon Stewart shuts down liberal journalist's Joe Rogan complaints
Comedian Jon Stewart shut down liberal journalist David Remnick for accusing Joe Rogan of recklessly platforming "Nazi curious" guests.
In a sit down interview, Stewart recounted his positive experiences appearing on Rogan's show over the years. Remnick pushed back, criticizing Rogan's massively popular podcast and protesting past guests who he claims cozy up to Nazis. Stewart flipped the script on Remnick, telling him to "beat him at their own game" instead of just complaining.
'Then do it better. Beat them at their own game.'
"I enjoyed being on Rogan," Steward said. "I think he's an interesting interviewer. There are rightwing weaponized commentators whose sole purpose is to manipulate things to the benefit of the Bannon project or the Project 2025. Rogan is not that guy."
"That guy is a curious comic who fell into this thing that got f***ing enormous," Stewart said of Rogan. "Maybe has opinions all over the political spectrum, but has tendencies that people on the left do not fit the aesthetic."
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Remnick followed up by claiming Rogan has hosted guests that are "Nazi curious," which Steward dismissed with a hilarious comeback.
"I've interviewed Kissinger, and he was carpet-bomb curious," Stewart said. "I don't know what to say. It's very easy to castigate those where we are like, 'But he had an opinion a few years back that's corrosive.'"
Stewart's point didn't seem to resonate with Remnick, who replied by claiming Rogan is problematic because he hosts controversial guests on his show.
"The difference is when [Kissinger] was carpet-bomb curious, you didn't say, 'Oh yeah, that's awesome,'" Remnick said. "And what happens with Rogan sometimes is that he'll hear somebody that's on the dangerous end of the spectrum, and he'll just kind of soak it in."
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Remnick went on to say that part of his concern is that he doesn't have as big of an audience as Rogan does, which he sees as an ideological barrier.
"Then get it," Stewart retorted. "Then go on that show and do those things. It's not acceptable to just say, 'Well, I don't like what he does.' Then do it better. Beat them at their own game. It's not enough to just complain that, 'That guy got a platform,' and, 'Don't platform that guy.' There's no one in this world that isn't platformed."
"Get out there. Fight."
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