Jon Stewart mourns family dog Dipper.
The TV host, 61, became emotional on Monday’s episode Daily show after discovering that the loyal dog — adopted by his family more than a decade ago — had died over the weekend.
“Dipper passed away yesterday,” Stewart said as he choked up on the show. “He was ready. He was tired, but I wasn’t.”
“And the family, we were all together,” he continued. “Thank God we were all there for him.”
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He also told the story of how Dipper first came into their lives after he participated in a fundraiser for the New York animal shelter Animal Haven with his children Maggie Rose, 18, and Nathan Thomas, 19, who he shares with his wife Tracey Stewart. He noted that the children were 6 or 7 years old at the time and that they were baking cookies for the shelter.
“So, as a little extra incentive, they brought in this 1-year-old tiger pit bull who—” Stewart said as he cried. “He was hit by a car in Brooklyn and lost his right leg.”
He jokingly placed the tissue box on the table before continuing: “It was a perfect idea, they put the dog on my lap. And we left that day feeling really good about helping this great organization.”
“We also left with this one-year-old tiger pit bull. We called him Dipper, and in the world of good guys he was the best,” he added.
The host shared a video of Dipper playing in the snow.
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He then explained that the dog was part of the “OG Daily show dog crew” and recalled that every time he came to the show to record, Dipper would “wait patiently” for him to finish.
“And he met actors and writers and presidents and kings. And he did what the Taliban couldn’t do, and that was scare Malala Yousafzai,” he added jokingly, as he shared a short clip of Yousafzai freaking out and turning the other way when she saw Dipper backstage.
Stewart gave a teary smile as he ended the show with a final message: “But boy, my wish for you is that one day you find that dog, that dog that’s just the best.”
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“Here’s your Zen moment,” he added before showing a video of the three-legged puppy energetically playing while chasing a snowball. In the background, the TV host could be heard teasing the dog cheerfully: “Dipper, who’s got the ball?”
The clip ended with Dipper appearing to place a snow globe near Stewart as the show faded to black.
Daily show airs at 11:00 PM EST on Comedy Central.
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