‘The Daily Show’ Is Finding The Funny During Our Collective Isolation

Social distancing pushed late-night comedy into exile for a minute, but several hosts quickly found a way to still connect with their audiences, most notably by way of home-bound editions like what Stephen Colbert kicked off Monday from his bathtub and social-first clips from pretty much every show. And as with other efforts to mine creativity and comedy from the competing streams of anxiety and boredom that are dominating our lives right now, some of these things have worked and some have not. But we still appreciate the effort!

Over at The Daily Show, their batting average has been pretty stellar during this incredibly bizarre week. Trevor Noah has been on point, calling out the Trump administration’s failings (while still getting laughs… like anger laughs, but still laughs) with The Daily Social Distancing Show on the show’s social channels; and the show’s band of correspondents are helping too, tagging in to play with the necessary weirdness of life under lockdown.

To ease your burden, we thought we’d collect some of the best posts from The Daily Show team so you could check them out. Warning: this whole thing ends with puppies.

I know people who are watching pandemic movies to fill the time between crying, masturbating, and rebooting rejected talent show routines on TikTok. I just don’t get it. Do you not have access to CNN or Twitter? Watch Space Jam! Again! Not Contagion. Anyway, here’s Roy Wood Jr. being similarly perplexed by the idea of watching these films, which he has apparently been forced to review for our absolute pleasure.

While some youths are out personifying Melania’s “I really don’t care do you?” dress, Jaboukie is doing right by the world, staying inside with his best friend and checking on senior citizens in his life.

Wood Jr. is in the very relatable position of having to parent through the great shut-in, dealing with not just the chaotic presence of a child in his bunker but also the boundless enthusiasm of little people who know this only as an extended spring break. Oh, and he seems to have cracked the code for getting your hands on a corona-test.

Undeterred by the very New-Yorkie response to his attempt to carryover Italy’s attempt at communal art in the time of corona, Trevor Noah decided to try and join the “Imagine” trend started by Gal Gadot and finished by Kristen Wiig’s hat.

If you’ve been watching the daily press briefings you know that the cost for speaking to the American people about this existential threat is verbal belly scratchies for the “leader” of the free world. Picking up on those sycophantic vibes and noticing a void when it comes to superhero #content, The Daily Show graphics team got creative.

The clip game has been strong, but something closer to a typical Daily Show rundown of the day’s events is chicken soup for the soul right now, and Noah doesn’t disappoint or hold back his astonishment when recapping Trump’s latest press conference or spring-breaker broken logic.

To wrap up, here’s your moment of zen — an IG account comprised of Daily Show staffer pets and puppies.