Jon Stewart slams ABC for firing Terry Moran after Trump administration criticism

Jon Stewart has very strong feelings about ABC’s decision to fire Terry Moran after the reporter called President Donald Trump a “world-class hater” on social media.

While taking listener questions on his Thursday’s episode of his Weekly Show podcast, Stewart was asked whether the network made the right call by axing Moran.

“Of course not,” the Daily Show host replied. “So stupid. No, for God’s sake.”

He continued, “Literally everyday on Fox News they’re taking stuff out of context or their people are saying utterly vicious things about democratic politicians. The entire thing is because ABC clings to this facade that they somehow exist in a bubble outside all of this.”

Stewart added, “It’s a joke. They’re a f—ing joke.”

On Sunday, Moran was suspended after slamming Trump and his deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller in a Saturday X post, calling the latter “a man who is richly endowed with the capacity for hatred.”

Days later, a spokesperson for ABC News confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that the network was parting ways with Moran due to his post being “a clear violation of ABC News policies.” 

The statement added, “At ABC News, we hold all of our reporters to the highest standards of objectivity, fairness and professionalism, and we remain committed to delivering straightforward, trusted journalism.”

Along with taking aim at ABC, Stewart also had harsh words to spare for the Trump Administration.

“The problem with it all is there’s no level of fealty that is enough. You’ve seen him attack Fox News,” he said of Trump. “Which is literally like a 24-hour Trump ball polishing machine. What does he always say whenever he gets asked a question. ‘That’s a terrible question. Why don’t you just thank me?'”

Representatives for ABC did not immediately respond to EW’s request for comment.

According to screenshots shared on social media, Moran’s since-deleted X post read: “The thing about Stephen Miller is not that he is the brains behind Trumpism. Yes, he is one of the people who conceptualizes the impulses of the Trumpist movement and translates them into policy. But that’s not what’s interesting about Miller. It’s not brains. It’s bile.”

He continued, “Miller is a man who is richly endowed with the capacity for hatred. He’s a world-class hater. You can see this just by looking at him because you can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate.”

He then addressed the president, writing, “Trump is a world-class hater. But his hatred [is] only a means to an end, and that end is his own glorification. That’s his spiritual nourishment.”

Though Moran deleted the post soon after sharing it, he was swiftly condemned by Trump administration officials, including Miller, who argued that the “public meltdown” would inspire further distrust when it comes to “corporate press in America.”

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Moran, who was one of ABC News’ top national correspondents, has since announced that he will continue his work on Substack, the subscription-based content platform. 

“I can’t wait to get at it, get at the important work that we all have to do in this time of such trouble for our country,” he told followers. “It’ll be a few days, maybe a little bit longer, I’ve got to get some stuff sorted out. But, can’t wait to see you.”

Watch Stewart criticize ABC News and the Trump Administration above.