Ever wonder what fuels the fires of rivalry in the comedy world? Marc Maron recently opened up about his past feud with Jon Stewart, and the answer might surprise you: it was all about insecurity. In a candid conversation with Esquire's editor-in-chief, Michael Sebastian, Maron revealed the true source of his (one-sided) beef with the former Daily Show host. He confessed that his jealousy was the driving force, stating, "Jon never did anything to me."
But here's where it gets controversial... Maron's envy stemmed from Stewart's seemingly effortless success. He saw Stewart as a "smart, cute Jewish guy," a "disciplined careerist" who knew how to leverage his talent. Maron, on the other hand, felt like he lacked that control. He admitted, "I never had any control over my talent. I never knew its limitations or what it was."
This isn't the first time Maron has discussed their rocky relationship, which began in the 1990s when both were trying to make it in comedy. Maron had even taken over Stewart's hosting duties on Short Attention Span Theater, a show that was canceled shortly after. Meanwhile, Stewart soared to fame hosting The Daily Show, a success that only amplified Maron's resentment.
"Throughout my early career, Jon, who is roughly my age, was just everywhere," Maron told Sebastian. "My envy of him was always … I would just shit on him, and to his face. It was just consuming. I couldn’t get through a week without him being on the cover of a magazine." He saw Stewart as a symbol of the success he craved, believing, "If I could only have my shit together, I could be more like that guy.”
And this is the part most people miss... Maron's motivations for entering comedy were not typical. He wasn't driven by a desire to entertain or host a talk show, but rather to "hold space and to speak my mind." He loved comedy, so he thought he could achieve that through it.
He further explained, "I think I had a big belief in that I will eventually be who I am and I always was, but it was not whole until fairly recently. So Jon really just represented that, and I was annoying to him."
Interestingly, when asked if he ever tried to get Stewart on his WTF podcast, which recently concluded its final episode, Maron shared a telling anecdote. He recalled a phone call where he attempted to apologize to Stewart and promote his podcast. Stewart's response? "Well, there’s no love here." He offered a possible coffee meeting but declined a podcast appearance, adding, "I’m sure what you’re doing is very creative, and good luck with it.” Maron found the condescension stinging. Now, in a twist of fate, Stewart is doing a podcast himself.
What do you think? Do you believe Maron's insecurity was the primary cause of the feud? Or do you think other factors were at play? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
