--- title: Jon Stewart Aims At Mitch McConnell For 911 First Responders description: Jon Stewart showed up on the The Late Show to support the people he calls “the first heroes.“ canonical: https://time.com/5609053/jon-stewart-on-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-mcconnell/ author: Melissa Locker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-06-18T14:35:59.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:59:14.378Z og:title: Jon Stewart Claps Back at Mitch McConnell on The Late Show og:description: Stewart went on The Late Show to support the people he calls “the first heroes.“ og:url: https://time.com/5609053/jon-stewart-on-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-mcconnell/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt652d002325c4ca9e/69894b5609208f06b7413fce/jonstewartoncolbert911.jpeg?branch=production&width=1045&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1045 og:image:height: 588 og:image:alt: JonStewartonColbert911 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Jon Stewart Claps Back at Mitch McConnell on The Late Show twitter:description: Stewart went on The Late Show to support the people he calls “the first heroes.“ twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt652d002325c4ca9e/69894b5609208f06b7413fce/jonstewartoncolbert911.jpeg?branch=production&width=1045&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'Your Species Isn't Known for Moving Quickly.' Jon Stewart Roasts Mitch McConnell Over 9/11 Bill on _The Late Show_ > 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. 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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=81217520-25ec-468b-92cd-37cfd6e41a0f&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Jun 18, 2019 2:35 PM UTC  The Late Show by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Jun 18, 2019 2:35 PM UTC It’s clear that [Jon Stewart](https://time.com/5326453/jon-stewart-takes-over-colbert/) cares deeply about taking care of the brave men and women who were the first to arrive at the site of the World Trade Center attack on [September 11th](http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,2083745,00.html). That’s why he went to Congress to try and convince them to fully fund the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, delivering an emotional and powerful speech to those in charge. So when Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell went on Fox and said [Stewart](https://time.com/5373106/jon-stewart-goats-nyc-subway/) of being “bent out of shape” for asking Congress to fund the, er, Fund and pointed out that Congress is pretty busy right now, Stewart decided he had to respond. So he stopped by his friend Stephen Colbert’s _The Late Show_ on Monday night to once again support the people he calls “the first heroes, and veterans, and victims of the great, trillions of dollars war on terror.” “I feel like an a–hole,” the [former host](https://time.com/5344101/jon-stewart-hulk/) of _The Daily Show_ said on the show. “I didn’t know that they were busy. I didn’t mean to interrupt them with their jobs.” Stewart then struck back at McConnell, for not fully funding the first responders medical fund. “You love the 9/11 community when they serve your political purposes,” said Stewart, Stewart said he recognizes that McConnell is busy, but he also said the Senate Majority Leader that if he does ignore the [9/11 First Responders](https://time.com/5540749/9-11-victims-compensation-fund-worries/), there could be unintended consequences. “You could pass this thing as a standalone bill tomorrow,” Stewart said. “If you’re busy, I get it. But just understand, the next time we have a war, or you’re being robbed, or your house is on fire, and you make that desperate call for help, don’t get bent out of shape if they show up at the last minute with fewer people than you thought were going to pay attention and don’t actually put it out. Just sort of leave it there smoldering for another five years.” “I’m sure they’ll put it out for good when they feel like getting around to it,” Stewart said in conclusion. “No offense.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5609053/jon-stewart-on-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-mcconnell/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5609053/jon-stewart-on-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-mcconnell/"},"headline":"'Your Species Isn't Known for Moving Quickly.' 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