Culture War? Jon Stewart Slams Mike Huckabee Over Beyoncé
Jon Stewart took possible Republican presidential-hopeful Mike Huckabee to task over his recent attacks on Beyoncé, over music which Huckabee refers to as “mental poison.”
Huckabee quit his job as a Fox News host in order to explore another presidential run, and recently published a book titled God, Guns, Grits and Gravy, in which he criticized Beyoncé for dance moves “best left for the privacy of her bedroom” while simultaneously musing that Jay-Z is actually pimping his wife out. Huckabee doubled down on his stance during an interview with People, criticizing the Obamas for allowing their daughters to listen to Beyoncé.
From the beginning of the interview, it is clear that Stewart and Huckabee are not the best of friends. Stewart, when asking about Huckabee’s retirement from his show of over six years on Fox, encouraged him to go back to Fox News network and beg for his job back, saying that Huckabee had made a “terrible, terrible mistake” in leaving the show in order to explore a presidential run.
After dismissing Stewart as being a disconnected member of “Bubbleville,” it didn’t take long for Huckabee to begin talking about his views on Beyoncé.
“Beyoncé is such a mega-talent. She can do anything,” Huckabee told Jon Stewart.
“She’s got the pipes to sing. She’s got the moves to dance. She doesn’t have to be vulgar in order to set the trend.”
Huckabee then asked, “Do you know any parent who has a daughter who says, ‘Honey, if you make really good grades, someday when you’re 12 or 13 we’ll get you your own stripper pole?'”
Stewart was quick to reply. “I think that’s diminishing Beyoncé in a way that’s truly outrageous,” he shot back at Huckabee. Stewart than introduced a clip of Huckabee playing bass guitar during a performance of “Cat Scratch Fever” with Ted Nugent. The song is loaded with sexual references, and Stewart called Huckabee out for the hypocrisy of his stance on one singer while excusing many others who do the same in their performances.
“You excuse that type of crudeness because you agree with his stance on firearms. You don’t approve of Beyoncé because she seems alien to you. Johnny Cash shot a man just to watch him die — that’s some gangsta shit!”
Huckabee defended himself, saying that his performance of Ted Nugent’s “Cat Scratch Fever” is different, because it’s an “adult song.”
Stewart didn’t buy the defense, though. “You can’t single out a corrosive culture and ignore the one that you live in because you’re used to it,” Stewart said.
At that point, Huckabee advised Stewart to read his new book, God, Guns, Grits and Gravy.
“Oh, I read it,” said Stewart.
“Did you?” Huckabee challenged. “OK.”
“It ain’t Shakespeare,” Stewart said bluntly.
Watch the entire exchange between Huckabee and Stewart below.
For more of Huckabee’s controversial views in his new book, click here and read about why he may think your own kids are “hellions and yuppie larvae.”
The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook,Daily Show Video Archive
[Image via the Huffington Post]
