One misconception about how Jon selects guests for his program, the Daily Show, is that he does so with only the sole intention of projecting well in the ratings, but this is simply not true.
While the idea of a big name celebrity attracting more viewership was an enticing prospect to Jon, he always felt that the interview portion of his show could be used for so much more.
Not just a few minutes of funny back and forth with a fellow comedian or a lengthy debate with a politician he didn’t see eye to eye with and would guarantee an extra five minutes to show online... but as a conduit for real discussions and open ideas. As an open forum where those without the means to have their voices heard get a chance to spark real change and discuss topical issues on an intellectual level.
This sacred idea of Jon’s also applied to his most watched series on the show, Equestrian Interviews. For the most part, he tried to seek out guests he knew would be the best pony to have for whatever present situation happened to be at the forefront of most people’s minds. Getting a guest from Equestria was easy, it was making their appearance relevant with what was going on in his world that was the hard part.
As of late, this idea seemed more and more impossible of a task. For the past few months, Jon has had to cover issues such as: A presidential inauguration, North Korea threatening other countries with war, Congress failing to stop the Sequester from taking effect, the rise and fall of a new Pope, school shootings causing the issues of gun control to resurface, and even a cartel of maple syrup being illegally transported up in Canada.
These were truly troubling times in the world of humans and it would take nothing short of the perfect guest to help make sense of it all.
As luck would have it, Jon already knew exactly who he needed to have on his show to talk about these issues and so much more. Someone with charisma beyond that of any normal pony and a sharp intelligence to go with it. For it was this pony, and only this pony that even remotely qualified to appear on the Daily Show during one of the darkest days of human history.
Jon was in his study where he had retired for the night. He was leaning back in his chair and staring at the strewn about mess that eclipsed his desk, but never had his own mind been made so clear. He had plans to make his next guest Equestrian and he had long ago decided who it would be.
With a hand that seemed to be operating on it’s own, he reached for the nearby phone on his desk and immediately began to type a number by memory. To say he was a man on a mission was a gross understatement. As the phone began to ring, Jon thought of himself, not as person, but as the final piece of a puzzle in the grand scheme that was his greatest interview to date.
A voice suddenly filled his ears. It was now time.
“Hello?” Celestia asked.
“Big Mac.” Jon said.
“Okay.” She responded.
Interview: Please welcome to the show Bic Mac
The Daily Show Interview transcript archive:
Series: Equestrian interviews
Interviewer: Jon Stewart
Guest: Big Mac
Date: 04/01/13
Location: Daily Show headquarters
733 11th Avenue Manhattan, NY 10019
THIS IS THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART
Whenever Jon did an episode of the Daily show, he always tried to have his thoughts situated to each segment as it was happening, thus giving it the attention it deserved. What this meant was he had to clear his mind of all distractions, including both those outside the show and inside as well.
Still, even he had a hard time not contemplating every now and again what he would say during the third and final segment of the show. The much anticipated interview that everyone had undoubtedly tuned in to see.
He made it through the first two portions of his show alright, but in between them, during the breaks he caught himself distracted by the thought of the guest that was currently waiting to be called upon any minute now. Jon wondered what he was doing, what he was saying to those taking care of him, and what he would say when he finally got on stage. Finally it was time... time for the interview of his career.
As the pre-rendered footage of the Manhattan streets crept it’s way onto the screen, the crowd rocketed to their feet to cheer as the camera made it’s usual route to the front of the stage.
There sat Jon, idly passing the time by writing in his notes, which usually were just effortless scribbles, but today were comprehensive and detailed notes outlining what he would ask of his guest and what topics to either avoid or bring up. Never before in his career as an entertainer had he been more prepared than this day.
The crowd’s cheering only intensified once the camera made it’s final motion in the form of zooming in on Jon looking up to address the masses.
“Hey everyone, welcome back to the Daily Show, my guest tonight!” He yelled over the still roaring crowd. “He is the brother of Applejack, a long time resident of Ponyville, and the co-owner of Sweet Apple Acres.”
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“I blinked, what happened?” Jon said while the crowd laughed. “Please welcome to the show, Big Macintosh.”
When the camera panned over to the side, a sturdy looking stallion made his way to the stage to a mixture of music and applause. His body was a maroon color and his mane was a light colored brown.
Unlike the city slicker that was Jon Stewart, Big Mac was a farm hand who spent his entire life either plowing fields or bucking trees for apples. His status as a laborer was made evident by his large build (even by the standards of male earth ponies) and a large yoke he wore around his neck.
Even though he wasn’t accustomed to being in the big city, let alone on national TV, he seemed largely unphased by the crowd yelling and making noises in his direction. With a confident stride, he slowly but steadily made his way to the desk in the center of the stage where Jon shook his hoof and offered him a seat.
For a brief second before the interview began, he looked at the audience, finally acknowledging them, only to quickly look back at Jon with the same placid look on his face like this was no big deal.
“Hey Big Mac, thanks so much for being here today!” Jon announced as he sat down, while making sure not to sit on the ends of his jacket. “Now... I... I appreciate you agreeing to be here today. I’m sure... I mean I know this-- you’re not used to city life, so I’m glad you decided to come on show. How uh... how, how are you enjoying the stay so far? Are you having a good time so far in New York?”
“Eeyup.” Big Mac said as the crowd moved closer to the edge of their seats.
“Now I would like to... What I really want to do is get to the point of why I brought you here.” Jon explained as he stroked the front of his face. “There are... so many things that the American people want to know and I think... uh, that you... o-o-only you can answer them.”
With that Jon leaned forward in his seat to get in closer to his guest who sat perfectly still as if he was frozen.
“For starters...” Jon paused. “Can you finally tell us... what really happened... to Applejack’s parents?”
The room fell silent as millions of people held their breath in anticipation.
“...Nnnope.” Big Mac answered.
“Okay, I see, uh, thank you again for... joining us here on the show, but listen we actually need to cut to a commercial.” Jon said as he pointed to the camera. “Can you stick around for another five minutes and we’ll throw the rest up on the web?”
“Eeyup.” He answered.
“Great! Also when you get back... uh, tell your sis I said ‘hi’” Jon said as he grabbed his hoof and shook it firmly. After a quick and almost unnoticed switching of perspectives later the camera had changed positions. “Big Macintosh everyone! We’ll be right back.”
While the crowd yelled as loudly as they could the camera currently broadcasting the two on stage slowly began to work it’s way back as the two men on stage exchanged a few worlds between each other .
Before going to black, Jon leaned forward as much as he could to whisper something into Big Mac’s ear as the ‘Daily Show’ logo appeared on screen then vanished as the feed dropped out in favor of a commercial.
