Episode
The Daily Show: April 16, 2026 - Lee Sung Jin
Overview
Ronny Chieng dives into America’s escalating clash with Iran, from global fuel shortages that leave Thai news anchors visibly sweating to Iran’s AI generated video of Jesus condemning Trump—and whether it qualifies as “patriotic” by Pete Hegseth’s standards. Somehow, the chaos is also buoying the American stock market. Iran’s surge of online “slopaganda” even inspires Michael Kosta to join the meme war. Grace Kuhlenschmidt rounds up the latest tech absurdities in Tech Yeah!, covering “tech neck”, marathon runners racing robots in China, and an AI avatar that might finally make Mark Zuckerberg seem lifelike. Writer director Lee Sung Jin joins Ronny to unpack how "Beef" evolved from a PowerPoint pitch into an award winning Netflix hit, exploring its real life inspirations, generational tensions, and a return to Korea to film with legends Youn Yuh jung and Song Kang ho—complete with a surprise visit from Parasite director Bong Joon ho.
Details
- Series
- The Daily Show
- Season
- Season 31
- Episode
- Episode 46
- Air date
- 2026-04-16
- Runtime
- 37 min
Episode context
April 16, 2026 - Lee Sung Jin is Episode 46 in Season 31 of The Daily Show. It aired on 2026-04-16. The runtime is 37 min.
Previous / Next
Episode 45: April 15, 2026 - Zoe Lister-Jones
JD Vance continues his apology tour on Trump's behalf at a TPUSA event, begging Gen Z not to leave MAGA over Iran and Epstein frustrations, and Ronny Chieng tries to make sense of Trump's "Diet Coke is healthy" logic. Also, since Trump's Jesus AI images won't stop, Grace Kuhlenschmidt steps in as a fully supportive, temporary "war pope". Professional naming expert Marco Glennwald III is losing his mind over the president's insistence on naming every goddamn thing after himself. Filmmaker and actress Zoe Lister-Jones sits down with Ronny to discuss starring in the Peacock series, "The Miniature Wife". They talk about co-starring as a billionaire and an evil scientist, portraying power dynamics in relationships through a fantastical lens, being exposed to feminist filmmaking from her video artist mother, and giving her TV series "Slip" – which she wrote, directed, and starred in – a "new life" on Peacock.
Episode 47: April 20, 2026 - Annalena Baerbock
Jon Stewart unpacks Trump’s Iran “Art of the Deal”, tracing threats, consequences, and concessions that add up to winning nothing. Republicans hail a self-declared victory as “a brilliant day for the world”, while Trump signs a bill to fast-track the psychedelic ibogaine, boasting, “You think Biden could do that?”. Stewart also sits down with UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock, who breaks down the growing challenges facing the United Nations — from tensions in the Strait of Hormuz to the limits of the Security Council veto — arguing diplomacy is both harder and more necessary than ever. She also discusses selecting the next UN Secretary-General, and whether member states will finally choose a woman to lead the body in its 80-year history.
More episodes from this season
Episode 44: April 14, 2026 - Bao Nguyen
Ronny Chieng dives into JD Vance's ill-prepared excuse for Trump's Jesus AI, the VP telling Pope Leo how to pope, RFK Jr. utilizing his best asset for podcasting, and Trump saying he'll "look into" FEMA head Gregg Phillips's Waffle House teleportation claims. In this installment of "In My Opinion", Nick Offerman sounds off on how Trump is injecting his self-aggrandising "jackassery" into America's 250th birthday - from slapping his John Hancock onto American currency to staging a UFC "battle" at the White House - and calls on citizens to find their own way to patriotically party down. Acclaimed film-maker Bao Nguyen sits down with Ronny to discuss his latest documentary, "BTS: The Return". They talk about following BTS's creative process as a fly on the wall, the big reunion after the band completed their national military service, the documentary narrative around honesty rather than facts, and the band's vulnerable moments when living out their normal lives.
Episode 48: April 21, 2026 - Noah Wyle
The Trump administration lands in hot water for partying too hard, with FBI chief Kash Patel suing The Atlantic over reports of his drinking, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigning amid allegations of affairs and strip club visits, and her husband banned from department headquarters over sexual misconduct claims. Michael Kosta digs into the Department of Labor’s new HR training video. Meanwhile, during an unpopular war with Iran and a heated pope fight, Jordan Klepper heads to a TPUSA event in Phoenix to see if the MAGA faithful are still riding with Trump. Noah Wyle joins Michael to talk Season 2 of HBO Max’s The Pitt, exploring mental health through Dr. Robinavitch, balancing tragedy with hope, and reflecting on how today’s audiences compare with the ER era — and how his perspective has changed since his Dr. Carter days.
Episode 43: April 13, 2026 - Aziz Abu Sarah & Moaz Inon
Jon Stewart dives into the backlash over Trump Jesus-ifying himself with AI, the president claiming he was just depicting himself as a "doctor" (treating a bedridden Jon Stewart?), and Trump starting an Easter beef with Pope Leo. Plus, JD Vance fails to secure a deal with Iran while ALSO failing to get Hungarian strongman Viktor Orban re-elected. "We don't have to be on opposite sides. We can be on the same side, fighting for justice together, fighting for peace together". Peace activists and authors of "The Future Is Peace", Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon sit down with Jon Stewart to share their inspirational story of family loss and choosing reconciliation over revenge in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Through honest dialogue, visits to Holocaust and Palestinian sites, and confronting painful stories, they spread the message of how empathy can break cycles of violence and war. They also challenge the idea that empathy is naïve and share what it was like meeting Pope Francis.
Episode 49: April 22, 2026 - Maria Sharapova
FBI Director Kash Patel’s job might be like his drinks: on the rocks. As oil prices soar and Trump shows no sign of ending the war with Iran or opening the Strait of Hormuz, Michael Kosta gives the president an Earth Day shoutout for showing what happens when you don’t invest in renewable resources. With the 2026 midterms nearing, Ronny Chieng digs into the record number of D-list celebrities and "influencer" freaks running for office, including reality TV bad boy Spencer Pratt, former “Teen Mom” star Farrah Abraham, and manosphere anti-semite Dan Bilzerian. Five-time Grand Slam champ, investor, and bestselling author Maria Sharapova joins Michael to talk about her new Vox Media podcast, “Pretty Tough”, bringing that mindset into candid conversations with high-achieving women, making more room for women in podcasting, learning from Grand Slam losses, and her advice to rising players: trust your instincts and “don’t miss”.
Episode 42: April 1, 2026 - Dr. Mary Claire Haver
Desi Lydic takes on Trump’s appearance at Supreme Court oral arguments on birthright citizenship as he argues the constitutional right should apply only to “billionaires”, while also pushing ahead with construction of the White House ballroom despite a federal judge ordering it stopped. Trump also unveils plans for a presidential hotel brary. Lewis Black breaks down prediction markets, where people are now betting on everything from future wars to Trump’s next insult, with some markets giving Jesus better odds of returning than the New York Jets have of winning a Super Bowl. Desi is also joined by board certified OB/GYN Dr. Mary Claire Haver, founder of The 'Pause Life, to discuss her book The New Perimenopause. Dr. Haver explains what perimenopause is, why early mental and neurological symptoms are often misdiagnosed, and how women can advocate for their health and navigate this “second puberty” without suffering.
Episode 50: April 23, 2026 - Ben McKenzie
Michael Kosta dives into America’s naval blockade of Iranian ports as the American Navy frays at home. After Pete Hegseth sacks Navy Secretary John Phelan, Trump swaps the unqualified rich guy for Hung Cao, known for anti-witch remarks and calls for more “alpha males and alpha females” in uniform. Desi Lydic explores Trump’s long-running vendetta against wind turbines, tracing how a 2012 wind farm near his Scottish golf course became, to him, the cause of everything. Then Ben McKenzie discusses his documentary “Everyone Is Lying to You for Money”, arguing crypto isn’t real money and that hype, celebrity ads, and opacity mask risk. He says criminals permeate the industry and calls for regulation and jail time for bad actors.
Episode 41: March 31, 2026 - Julio Torres
Desi Lydic dives into Lindsey Graham's wartime day off at Disney World, Pete Hegseth's poetic take on the Iran War, Trump's flailing on the Strait of Hormuz as gas prices reach over $4 a gallon, and the leaked sexcapades of Kristi Noem's husband that make her fuck plane look tame. Ronny Chieng and Michael Kosta drive each other March Mad over a UConn "buzzer-beater" win against Duke and go head-to-head over big news in baseball, including instant replay for umpires and instant diarrhoea for ballpark foodies. Award-winning filmmaker and comedian, Julio Torres, sits down with Desi to discuss his new HBO special, "Color Theories". Torres invites viewers into an immersive experience in his whimsical world; he explains how Democrats and Republicans embody navy blue and burgundy because of what they hide, why everyone has a little bit of synesthesia, and whether anyone knows what color "puce" is.
Episode 51: April 27, 2026 - Jodi Kantor
Episode 40: March 30, 2026 - Cindy Cohn
Happy one monthiversary of the Iran war. With the Strait of Hormuz still closed, Jon Stewart looks at how global shortages are rippling outward, hitting everything from grain and helium to pickleballs. At home, Americans flood the streets for the No Kings protests while CPAC counters with Trump’s Yassss Kings rally. The U.S. also finally gets a detailed explanation of the president’s objectives and exit strategy—limited, for now, to the White House ballroom. Jon speaks with attorney Cindy Cohn about her book, Privacy’s Defender: My Thirty Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance, and her work leading the Electronic Frontier Foundation. She reflects on the post 9/11 surveillance fight, warns how internet regulation can backfire, and argues that meaningful reform requires strong privacy laws, new tech business models, and more choices for users. As she notes, the solution isn’t better dictators—it’s fewer of them.
Episode 52: April 28, 2026 - Gaten Matarazzo