Jon Stewart’s return to “The Daily Show” has brought more than just laughs and biting political commentary.
On the Feb. 26 episode of the Comedy Central late-night show, Stewart turned very serious when he announced the death of his dog, Dipper.
Stewart, who is hosting Monday night episodes of the show, said the pit bull entered his family’s life when his kids wanted to raise money for a New York City animal shelter about 12 or 13 years ago and they set up a table outside the facility to sell cupcakes.
“As a little extra incentive, they brought out this 1-ish-year-old brindle pit bull who got hit by a car in Brooklyn and lost his right leg,” Stewart said, beginning to fight back tears.
“It was the perfect idea. They put the dog in my lap. And we left that day feeling really good we’d helped this great organization. And we also left with this 1-ish-year-old brindle pit bull. We called him Dipper. And in a world of good boys, he was the best,” he said.
Stewart said Dipper would come to “The Daily Show” every day, noting “he was part of the OG ‘Daily Show’ dog crew” and that Dipper would wait for him while they taped the program.
“He met actors and authors and presidents and kings. And he did what the Taliban could not do, which is put a scare into Malala Yousafzai,” he joked, before sharing a clip of the Pakistani activist running away from Dipper backstage at the show.
Stewart then broke down further as he revealed that Dipper had died, and marveled how wonderful a pet he was.
“Dipper passed away yesterday,” he said as he choked up. “He was ready. 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 is the best.”
He then introduced the show’s signature “Moment of Zen,” which was a 20-second clip of Dipper frolicking in the snow.