Jon Stewart Vs. CNN: Comedian Compares Network To Murderous Doll Chucky

Jon Stewart has been a frequent critic of CNN, and this week the comedian added some fuel to his rivalry with the network when he compared it to the murderous doll, Chucky, of the Child’s Play film franchise..

Stewart was appearing on GPS with host and frequent Daily Show guest Fareed Zakaria when the discussion turned to CNN itself. Stewart, who frequently lambastes CNN’s coverage of news events, said the network is something like the slasher movie villain.

Stewart said that CNN is “very similar to the doll Chucky—sometimes it’s good Chucky, but you really gotta watch out for bad Chucky.”

Jon Stewart and CNN have a long history. In 2004, the comedian famously appeared on the show Crossfire, where he told the hosts that their over-the-top political rhetoric is bad for television.

“But the thing is that this — you’re doing theater, when you should be doing debate, which would be great,” he said. “It’s not honest. What you do is not honest. What you do is partisan hackery.”

Not long after Stewart’s appearance, CNN canceled Crossfire and even cited the comedian’s criticism for a reason why the show was bagged.

While Stewart has turned into a frequent critic not only of CNN but of all cable news outlets, the Daily Show host has stayed out of the more serious side of journalism himself. Stewart maintains that he is a comedian first, and has even rejected some chances to cross over into more serious news television.

Recent reports indicate that NBC News president Deborah Turness held negotiations with Jon Stewart to bring the comedian on board as host of Meet the Press. Stewart ultimately turned down the offer, which Huffington Post writer Jason Linkins said was the right choice.

“Let’s face it, bringing Stewart to the Meet The Press studio would have been something of an awkward graft. Stewart’s always been a capable interviewer, if we define ‘interviewing’ as the simple task of genially greeting a guest and provoking an entertaining conversation. Once Stewart strays from that sort of interview to actual journalistic interlocution, reviews are mixed.”

Plus, staying on Comedy Central allows Jon Stewart to safely take aim at CNN and other cable networks whenever he pleases.