Jon Stewart says the World Cup was a reverse Super Bowl
Jon Stewart says the World Cup final felt like a reverse Super Bowl on Monday's Daily Show, joking that Spain's 1-0 win over Argentina featured Spanish-speaking players and an English-language haliptime show, then slamming President Trump for lingering on stage during Spain's trophy celebration.
Key Takeaways
- On Monday's The Daily Show, Jon Stewart called Spain's 1-0 World Cup final win over Argentina a "reverse Super Bowl."
- Stewart joked that the players spoke Spanish while the first-ever World Cup final haliptime show was in English.
- The historic lineup included Madonna, Justin Bieber, and the Muppets, with Stewart singling out Sesame Street's The Count.
- He later blasted Trump for staying on stage during Spain's trophy hoist, a moment usually reserved for players.
What did Jon Stewart say about the World Cup final?
Stewart opened Monday night's episode with post-game thoughts on Sunday's final, where Spain beat Argentina 1-0. "Of course, the World Cup ended yesterday, finito, with Spain defeating Argentina 1-0 on the pitch, in the footy," he said, according to Variety.
The bit quickly became a culture-clash gag aimed at how the match looked to U.S. viewers. For more late-night and streaming coverage, see BlasterPost's Streaming & TV Alerts desk.
Why did Stewart call the final a reverse Super Bowl?
"The Spain-Argentina final was like a reverse Super Bowl, where the players spoke Spanish, and the haliptime show was in English," Stewart said. The joke flipped familiar Super Bowl logic: Spanish on the pitch, English in the entertainment break.
Variety reported that the World Cup final's haliptime show was the first in the tournament's history. It featured Madonna, Justin Bieber, and the Muppets. Stewart zeroed in on Sesame Street's The Count, appearing alongside Kermit and Miss Piggy.
"You got all the Muppets to choose from, why would in God's name make the vampire work during the day?" he joked. He needled the bright afternoon sun and a long 0-0 stretch, saying the scoreless stretch taunted the counting vampire who had sat in traffic for hours.
What else did Stewart criticize on The Daily Show?
Stewart then turned to Trump's presence at the game, focusing on an awkward stretch when the president lingered on stage during the trophy hoist. That celebration, Stewart argued, is typically meant for "just the players."
"What the fuck are you doing on the stage?" Stewart exclaimed. "It's for the players! Goddamn! Why must everything be tainted by the overinflated ego of Cankles Muldoon? Why?"
The monologue framed the final as both a soccer story and a TV moment: a historic haliptime experiment, a language-flip joke built for viral clips, and a sharp rebuke of politics crowding the winners' celebration on The Daily Show.