Jon Stewart Accidentally Calls Dead Canadian a Crackhead


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Dear Producers/Writers of the Daily Show,

In last night’s episode (Nov. 4th, 2013), during your Rob Ford segment, you showed a fairly famous photo of Ford with three Toronto men. One of them was Anthony Smith. Smith was a 21 year old who was recently shot and killed outside a nightclub. This is a news clip regarding that young man.

I love the show, and this letter is a courtesy because I love what Jon Stewart does, but last night he referred to Anthony Smith as a “crack-stituent”, adding “The racist thing seems to be he’s (Ford) very accepting of anybody who smokes crack with him.”

I feel that while Mr. Stewart absolutely did not do this maliciously, he still slandered a dead 21 year old unintentionally, and I know the family would have been horrified if they saw the show.

I saw the show. I immediately felt for his family, and for the producers of the show who had no idea they were disparaging a dead young man.

I think it would show a lot of class if you apologized on tonight’s show, or at least now that you know what happened to Anthony Smith, maybe acknowledging the unfortunate circumstances that make the joke unfunny to those who know him.

Kind Regards,

James Di Fiore

14 comments

  4. I think Jon said the truth about Mr. Smith in refering to him as a crackhead. Mr. Smith is seen with the mayor outside of a crack house.Mr. Smith more than lilikely had the video of Ford smoking crack on his cell phone. Mr. Smith was known to law enforcement as having associated with known gang members, drug users and dealers. Mr. Smith was targeted in an execution style shooting. If you run with those types of people and surrounded yourself with illegal drugs, then I am sorry but being called a crackhead is probably correct.

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    1. lol boy your an idiot. do you even know what a crackhead is? Mr. Smith was not a user of crack cocaine. do you know why he was killed? man people are stupid.

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      1. Yeah I do know what a crackhead is. For the past 26 years I have been a paramedic dealing with drug overdoses and crackheads. I am guessing you have intimate knowledge of Mr. Smiths actions. The reason he was shot in the head was that he associated himself with known gang members and drug dealers. But you keep looking through those rose color glasses you are wearing. I also suppose that you believe Rob Ford never tried drugs either.

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      2. Mal-I have been a paramedic for 26 years dealing with crackheads, drug overdoses and people shot in the head. Experience has taught me that when someone is shot in the back of the head in a public place execution style, they are not angels. Mr. Smith was known to police as someone who associated with known gang members and drug dealers. Mr. Smith was not in front of that bar the night he was shot collecting donations for the homeless.

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    2. jay: No one (well, no none except you and oddmanic) give a rat’s pitutty who “Mr. Smith” is, or ever was. The story, the joke, the point, is ROB FORD. D’uhhhh! Either of you ‘get it’ now? No, still nothing? Well then call Human Rights Tribunal. Let’s go ahead and get this over with…..

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  5. not only was he a “crackhead” or “crack-stituent” as identified by Stewart, but that directly lead to his death. I, for one, don’t think that just because someone has died that that should somehow wash away the things they did while they were alive, good or bad. We should not gloss over the bad things people did in life just because they’ve died. it’s dumb and a terrible lesson to teach.

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