Even the crappiest internships have their perks. And it’s hard to imagine that being an intern to Tucker Carlson—specifically: Tucker Carlson in his bow tie-wearing days—was any sort of cakewalk. But it turns out that that job, too, had at least one amazing memory: watching your boss endure the verbal takedown of the century when he tried (and failed) to match wits with Jon Stewart.
In recent weeks, a clip from a 2004 episode of the now-defunct CNN series Crossfire featuring an epic exchange between Carlson and then-host of The Daily Show Jon Stewart has gone viral. While it’s a bookmarked clip for many people, others are seeing it for the very first time—and losing their minds.
The interaction is interesting for several reasons: First, it provides an early glimpse into what kind of show Carlson wanted to be on—namely, one in which he just gets to spout whatever random and usually misguided thought comes into his mind without disagreement. It’s also widely believed that Stewart’s appearance on the show is what led CNN to forgo renewing Carlson’s contract just a few months later (a rumor the Fox News host fiercely denies). Also: Stewart pokes fun at Carlson’s penchant for bow ties and just flat-out calls him a d*ck.
Among the people who have joined in the conversation about this momentous occurrence in television history is one Erin Maloney, who was a CNN intern at the time.
I was an intern/volunteer for the show at the time and watched it happen live. I remember the producers/everyone involved thinking it was going to be a funny show and quickly realized things were gonna go south quickly. Everyone was dumbfounded
— Erin Maloney (@ErinOnTV) May 5, 2021
On Wednesday, she responded to the original tweet to say: “I was an intern/volunteer for the show at the time and watched it happen live. I remember the producers/everyone involved thinking it was going to be a funny show and quickly realized things were gonna go south quickly. Everyone was dumbfounded 
”
She also retweeted the clip and confirmed that: “I watched this live in the studio audience and it is still as cringey and wonderful today as it was in 2004.”
I watched this live in the studio audience and it is still as cringey and wonderful today as it was in 2004 https://t.co/JLYXAIuthU
— Erin Maloney (@ErinOnTV) May 5, 2021
Jon Stewart, who only arrived on Twitter recently, did comment on the interview back in March. He acknowledged that he called Carlson a d*ck and wanted to apologize… to d*cks everywhere.
I called Tucker Carlson a dick on National television. It’s high time I apologize…to dicks. Never should have lumped you in with that terrible terrible person.
— Jon Stewart (@jonstewart) March 11, 2021
You can watch the clip above (on a loop if you want).
(Via Newsweek)