The first time Jon Stewart invited me onto The Daily Show six years ago, I threw up backstage. I had gut-wrenching, stomach-turning stage fright. I was a no-nam…e college professor there in 2009 to talk about oversight of the Wall Street bailout. It was important – and I didn’t want to mess up and become the joke. The first couple of minutes seemed so terrible, I thought I would have to resign from my new position on the TARP Congressional Oversight Panel. But when we got to the commercial break, Jon could tell that I hadn’t said what I’d come to say. He took my arm, told me to stay in my seat — and then he let me deliver this message. That moment changed my life.
I’m grateful for every single time someone has come up to me and asked: “Hey, aren’t you that lady I saw on Jon Stewart?” Because almost every time I’ve told someone, “Yup, that’s me,” they’ve followed it up with: “Keep fighting!” That’s what Jon has done for 16 years: with passion and humor, he skewered the people who needed skewering, called out the big guys who rig the system, and prodded us all to fight back.
Thanks, Jon!