Episode
The Daily Show: January 6, 2026 - Park Chan-wook
Overview
Ronny Chieng unpacks former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's abduction and first day in court, where he and his wife got some good couples, time pleading not guilty to cocaine trafficking charges. Meanwhile, MAGA attempts to justify Trump's intervention by downplaying the episode, citing Christianity, and downright playing the bully. The latest scientific studies show that microplastics are just about everything, and we're ingesting them at an alarming rate. Thankfully, there's a new product that's sure to help us take advantage of all the plastic we're downing each day — eventually. Legendary Korean filmmaker, Director Park Chan-wook, sits down with Ronny Chieng (without any translation help from Ken Jeong) to discuss his new film, "No Other Choice," which he adapted from an American novel. They discuss what attracted him to this story, which follows a devoted company man who is fired and directs his rage toward his competitors on the job market.
Details
- Series
- The Daily Show
- Season
- Season 31
- Episode
- Episode 2
- Air date
- 2026-01-06
- Runtime
- 34 min
Episode context
January 6, 2026 - Park Chan-wook is Episode 2 in Season 31 of The Daily Show. It aired on 2026-01-06. The runtime is 34 min.
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Episode 1: January 5, 2026 - Sen. Mark Kelly
Jon Stewart dives into the Trump administration's abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Trump's collusion with oil companies to exploit Venezuela's resources, and the emergence of the "Donroe Doctrine" as Trump threatens more international takeovers. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, who also served in the Navy as a captain and combat pilot, joins Jon Stewart after news broke that he was being censured by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth for telling U.S. service members to refuse illegal orders. They discuss the president's "major ego problem," why he stands by his message as the Trump administration continues to levy attacks against free speech, frustrations with Democratic leadership, and the importance of Democrats taking control of the House and the Senate to put President Trump in check.
Episode 3: January 7, 2026 - Stephen J. Dubner
Ronny Chieng covers how Trump is taking charge of Venezuela's oil industry and replacing their old dictator with a new one: himself. Plus, this Venezuela takeover is so much fun, the president adds a bunch of other countries to his To-Be-Overthrown list, including Greenland, and Michael Kosta couldn't be more excited to be part of Trump's nation-extorting mafia. Jordan Klepper profiles Benny Johnson, social media star turned White House press commentator, who caught Trump's eye with his generic vitriol, Russian backing, penchant for plagiarism, and unyielding obsession with Batman. Stephen J. Dubner, host of "Freakonomics Radio" and co-author of "Freakonomics," sits down with Ronny Chieng to discuss the book's 20th anniversary edition. They talk about how Dubner and his co-author Steven Levitt wove together storytelling and data to present case studies without imposing their own judgment, and how their publisher, doubtful of the title, liberated them to write the book they wanted.
More episodes from this season
Episode 4: January 8, 2026 - Lucy Liu
Minneapolis tells ICE to "get the f**k out" after an agent fatally shot a woman, Kristi Noem smears the victim as a terrorist while MAGA decides she deserved it, and Ronny Chieng questions ICE's PR push to recruit highly aggressive, unqualified agents and unleash them on American cities. Americans are known for spoiling their living pets, but what about the ones who've passed? Michael Kosta explores the rising popularity of pet psychics, like Danielle MacKinnon, who claims to have the intuitive ability to communicate with all animals, past and present. Kosta learns about her process, meets her very real clients, and attempts to glean some insight into his relationship with his own dog, Walter. Actor and producer Lucy Liu sits down with Ronny Chieng to discuss her new film, "Rosemead," which is based on a true story about a terminally ill mother and her son. They talk about Liu's connection with the film and how its themes of mental health and grief affected her.
Episode 5: January 12, 2026 - Jenin Younes
on Stewart digs into Trump announcing himself as Venezuela's acting president via Wikipedia, dividing Venezuela amongst cooperating oil companies, making a game-time decision to involve himself in Iran, and setting his sights on conquering Greenland so Russia can't have it. Plus, Trump's rules for January 6th rioters don't square with the MAGA rhetoric around the January 7th ICE killing of Renee Good. Civil liberties attorney and co-host of the podcast, "Previously Prohibited," Jenin Younes, joins Jon Stewart to discuss how MAGA's rewriting of the Minneapolis ICE shooting signals a perpetual escalation in violating civil liberties. They talk about how Trump has transitioned from protecting free speech to supporting censorship, JD Vance's justification over the legality of the Minneapolis shooting, how the Right's anti-immigrant rhetoric appeals to working-class Americans' frustrations, and why ICE is targeting blue states and sanctuary cities while exaggerating their "non-compliance."
Episode 6: January 13, 2026 - Joachim Trier
Jordan Klepper rounds up the latest indiscretions from Trump's cabinet, including Pete Hegseth adding perfidy to his collection of alleged war crimes, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer bringing back the good old-fashioned political sex scandal, and RFK Jr. making America heart attack again with his upside-down food pyramid, which Troy Iwata breaks down for us. Lenard McKelvey (aka "Charlamagne Tha God") is celebrating MLK Day like it's his last, because with this president, it might be. Thanks to the Trump administration's backsliding on the national holiday, MAGA's disparaging remarks against Dr. King, and Elon Musk's call for white solidarity, Donald Trump's birthday is in the running to replace MLK Day. Award-winning director and screenwriter Joachim Trier joins Jordan Klepper to discuss his latest critically acclaimed film, "Sentimental Value." They talk about the influence of early skateboarding films on challenging actors to take risks, developing a cast built on trust.
Episode 7: January 14, 2026 - Langhorne Slim
Donald Trump gives a Ford factory worker the middle finger and delivers a message of "keep protesting" but only for Iranians, immigration raids escalate in Minnesota, ICE engages in blatant racial and accent profiling, and Jordan Klepper highlights the Minnesotans fighting back with music, costumes, and bologna. Musician Langhorne Slim joins Jordan Klepper to talk about his new album, "The Dreamin' Kind." They discuss the importance of dreamers and creativity, especially during uncertain times, how politics have changed the way his older music resonates, collaborating with Greta Van Fleet, and his mission to make joyful music that'll have you wanting to "shake it." Langhorne Slim performs "Rock N Roll" from his upcoming album, "The Dreamin' Kind," which is due to be released on January 16.
Episode 8: January 15, 2026 - Wagner Moura
Jordan Klepper covers the latest on Trump's "whole milk" antics, the president's push to take over Greenland that has Europe mobilizing, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani's burgeoning communist reign in New York City, which has unleashed terrors such as expanded access to childcare and free public restrooms. Grace Kuhlenschmidt breaks down the latest tech from the CES conference: candy that puts voices in your head, razors that botch your haircut for you, robots that can see you but can't hear you, and a chance to fulfill your dreams of beating up a machine! Actor Wagner Moura joins Jordan Klepper, fresh off his Golden Globe win for his performance in "The Secret Agent". Moura, a Brazilian native, describes how the film, which takes place in 1977 Brazil during a heavy dictatorship, was a way for him and director Kleber Mendonça Filho to process their perplexity after their country's return to dictatorship values with the election of far-right president Jair Bolsonaro in 2018.
Episode 9: January 20, 2026 - Artis Stevens
After receiving a secondhand Nobel Peace Prize from the real winner, Maria Corina Machado, Trump decides peace is for chumps and doubles down on his plans to take over Greenland, angering both Emmanuel Macron and Emmanuel Macron's eye. Plus, while Josh Johnson thinks the president's plan to extort Greenland out of Europe's hands through tariffs will only hurt Americans, Michael Kosta demonstrates how kicking one's own ass is the ultimate fighting strategy. Trump still wants Greenland and is threatening our European allies if they don't go along with his plan, but this story has been brewing for a while. As Jordan Klepper's recent trip to Norway showed us, the president's anti-peace reputation has long been the talk of the town. President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Artis Stevens, sits down with Josh Johnson to discuss the power of mentorship.
Episode 10: January 21, 2026 - Simu Liu
Trump closes out his first year as president (again) with a finger-crushing book of accomplishments while he leans into his goal for Year 2: acquiring Greenland. Josh Johnson tracks how Trump's mumbling about his need to own "Iceland" in Davos morphed into a vague "concept of a deal" with the president who never hears the word "no." In another edition of Everything Is Stupid, Ronny Chieng details the rise and fall of an alleged scam that anyone with a sane mind could've seen coming: former New York City Mayor Eric Adams's risky unregulated crypto token, which he compared to Betsy Ross before it crashed spectacularly. "The Copenhagen Test" star Simu Liu sits down with Josh Johnson to discuss his new series on Peacock and his upcoming Broadway debut in "Oh, Mary!" He shares what it's like to portray Mary's Teacher on stage, the similarities and differences between acting in film and for a live audience, his experience in stunt performance inspired by the greats like Jackie Chan & Jet Li.
Episode 11: January 22, 2026 - Alexandria Stapleton
Josh Johnson gives a progress report on Trump's first year in office based on his campaign pledges to generate more jobs, make Americans rich, improve healthcare, and protect free speech. Naturally, the only person to benefit from these promises is Trump, who now has everything but a normal-looking hand. Lewis Black takes on Gen Z's nostalgic penchant for the past and the ridiculous "throwback" fads the younger generation is reviving, including cigarette smoking, "dumb phones" to help them think thoughts, tramp stamps, and the mall. Emmy award-winning documentarian Alexandria Stapleton talks to Josh Johnson about producing and directing the Netflix docuseries, "Sean Combs: The Reckoning," including her shared concern with producing partner Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson not to indict the entire Hip-Hop culture along with the music mogul & how the sense of trepidation among the documentary crew & interview participants has shifted since the release of the series and the arrest of Sean Combs.
Episode 12: January 26, 2026 - Jason Rezaian
After the second murder of a Minnesota ICE protester by federal agents, Jon Stewart breaks down the increasingly unhinged gaslighting from Trump officials who are trying to paint victim Alex Pretti as a "domestic terrorist" & ICE agents as innocent kittens despite clear video evidence to the contrary. As MAGA & Kristi Noem ignore even their precious Second Amendment in their attempts to justify the shooting of a legally armed citizen, Jon points to the real weapon threatening this administration: cameras. Director of Press Freedom Initiatives at The Washington Post, Jason Rezaian discusses the deadly protests in Iran and the importance of collecting details of the Iranian experience despite the impermeable internet blackouts. How Trump's desire to make a deal with Iran would only empower the current oppressive regime, the benefits of including Iranian dissidents in the U.S. in policy conversations, and the humor that carried Rezaian through his 544-day wrongful prison sentence in Iran.
Episode 13: January 27, 2026 - Michael Urie
Desi Lydic dives into the backlash over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in Minnesota: GOPers push back against the DHS's attacks on Alex Pretti for carrying a legal firearm, Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino gets a station reassignment and a screen time limit, and Trump resorts to finding Bovino's replacement via suggestions from "Fox & Friends" host Brian Kilmeade. Plus, Troy Iwata pitches a new look for Greg Bovino to match his demotion. Michael Kosta and Ronny Chieng duke it out on another edition of Sports War, debating who you should root for at the upcoming Super Bowl LX, the merits of "Heated Rivalry" putting NHL on the map, and "Nordick shame" after Olympic Norwegian ski jumpers were suspended for enlarging their crotches. Emmy-nominated actor Michael Urie talks with Desi Lydic about the new season of "Shrinking", his run Broadway, and getting his start on "Ugly Betty," where the legendary Vanessa Williams gave him the agency to take big acting swings.