Jon Stewart warns during his Mark Twain Prize speech that "authoritarianism" is the greatest threat to comedy.

The Hollywood Reporter

"You know, there was the slap…. But it’s not the fragility of audiences,” said Stewart, according to The Hollywood Reporter, referring to the threat to comedy, “it’s the leaders. It’s not the Fresh Prince, it’s the crown prince." Stewart added that “comedy is the bellwether, we’re the banana peel in the coal mine… Authoritarianism is the threat to art, theater, poetry…. What we have is fragile and precious, and the way to guard against it isn’t to change how audiences think, but to change how leaders lead.” Stewart's Mark Twain Prize ceremony will be broadcast June 21 on PBS.