--- title: Jon Stewart Mocks Stephen Colbert FCC Complaints VIDEO description: Following the controversy surrounding a vulgar joke Stephen Colbert made about President Trump, Jon Stewart gave his take on the matter. canonical: https://time.com/4773753/stephen-colbert-jon-stewart-trump-joke-video/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-10T14:56:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:43:30.067Z og:title: Watch Jon Stewart Champions Stephen Colbert's 'Potty Mouth' og:description: "We try to hold comedians to a standard we do not hold leaders to" og:url: https://time.com/4773753/stephen-colbert-jon-stewart-trump-joke-video/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt625f9f18cab8fe2f/6988ccb7bc6cfc6ad33e149a/screen-shot-2017-05-10-at-10-18-03-am.png?branch=production&width=1106&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1106 og:image:height: 622 og:image:alt: Screen Shot 2017-05-10 at 10.18.03 AM og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch Jon Stewart Champions Stephen Colbert's 'Potty Mouth' twitter:description: "We try to hold comedians to a standard we do not hold leaders to" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt625f9f18cab8fe2f/6988ccb7bc6cfc6ad33e149a/screen-shot-2017-05-10-at-10-18-03-am.png?branch=production&width=1106&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'We Can Insult. He Can Injure.' Jon Stewart Champions Stephen Colbert's 'Potty Mouth' During Reunion > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ff928ebc-b8c9-44a2-82ef-1a21f02793aa&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ff928ebc-b8c9-44a2-82ef-1a21f02793aa&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=ff928ebc-b8c9-44a2-82ef-1a21f02793aa&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ff928ebc-b8c9-44a2-82ef-1a21f02793aa&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1)  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer May 10, 2017 2:56 PM UTC  CBS  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer May 10, 2017 2:56 PM UTC Following the controversy surrounding an [explicit joke](http://time.com/4764759/colbert-gay-trump/) [Stephen Colbert](http://time.com/4773562/stephen-colbert-trump-firing-comey/) recently made about [President Donald Trump](http://time.com/4766399/stephen-colbert-trump-insults/), Jon Stewart appeared on _The Late Show_ to tease his friend about causing a fuss. “I’m not comfortable here. I don’t feel comfortable,” he joked while uncomfortably squirming in his seat next to Colbert’s desk. “I’ve been reading about you. I’ve been seeing about you in the news. You have a potty mouth.” “That I do,” the host replied. “But might I say, I learned it from you, Dad.” However, Stewart later returned to the topic to give his real take on the matter. “The things you say — even if they’re crass or even if they are in some ways not respectful enough to the office of the presidency — we can insult, he can injure,” he said. “It’s the difference between insult and injury. And for the life of me I do not understand why in this country we try to hold comedians to a standard we do not hold leaders to. It’s bizarre.” The chat came in the midst of an [epic _Daily Show_ reunion](http://time.com/4773166/stephen-colbert-jon-stewart-daily-show-reunion/), which also featured cameos by former correspondents Samantha Bee, John Oliver, Ed Helms, and Rob Corddry. **Read More:** [The Complete History of Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart’s Legendary Friendship](http://time.com/4772715/stephen-colbert-jon-stewart-complete-friendship-history/) Watch the full clip below. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4773753/stephen-colbert-jon-stewart-trump-joke-video/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4773753/stephen-colbert-jon-stewart-trump-joke-video/"},"headline":"'We Can Insult. He Can Injure.' Jon Stewart Champions Stephen Colbert's 'Potty Mouth' During Reunion","datePublished":"2017-05-10T14:56:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:43:30.067Z","description":"\"We try to hold comedians to a standard we do not hold leaders to\"","url":"https://time.com/4773753/stephen-colbert-jon-stewart-trump-joke-video/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Television","stephen colbert","TV","the late show","Late Night Television","Jon Stewart","the late show with stephen colbert"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt625f9f18cab8fe2f/6988ccb7bc6cfc6ad33e149a/screen-shot-2017-05-10-at-10-18-03-am.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt625f9f18cab8fe2f/6988ccb7bc6cfc6ad33e149a/screen-shot-2017-05-10-at-10-18-03-am.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Screen Shot 2017-05-10 at 10.18.03 AM","caption":"","creditText":"CBS","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4773753/stephen-colbert-jon-stewart-trump-joke-video/","name":"'We Can Insult. He Can Injure.' Jon Stewart Champions Stephen Colbert's 'Potty Mouth' During Reunion"}}]}] ```