Jon Stewart backs Tucker Carlson on Iran: ‘You tell him, brother’

Jon Stewart and Tucker Carlson have clashed as much as any two ideologically opposed television personalities in their careers. But on whether the U.S. should wade into the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, the two men have found themselves agreeing.

“We’re in such a bizarro world,” Stewart said Thursday. “You’ve got me nodding my head to Tucker Carlson videos.”

“The Daily Show” host opened his podcast with an allusion to Carlson’s interview this week with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). During the conversation, Carlson laid into the Texas Republican for his calls for regime change in Iran, which has been targeted by Israeli strikes against its nuclear and military infrastructure.

“You’re a senator who’s calling for an overthrow of the government, and you don’t know anything about the country,” Carlson exclaimed in response to Cruz’s difficulty answering a question about the population of Iran. Cruz called the line of questioning “snide.”

The two men had several other testy exchanges during their hours-long conversation, including over Cruz’s support for Israel as it and Iran exchange tit-for-tat strikes.

In the introduction to this week’s episode of “The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart” podcast, which featured CNN’s Christiane Amanpour and former President Obama adviser Ben Rhodes for a discussion on the conflict, Stewart was beside himself.

“You’ve got Tucker Carlson going, ‘Why are we going to war with Iran, again,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, you tell him, brother,’” he said, laughing. “That’s how f‑‑‑ing upside-down we find ourselves in this moment.”

Carlson, a noted isolationist, has rarely been aligned with Stewart on foreign policy. The two men clashed in February after Carlson interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin, a move that Stewart slammed on his show as uncritical and sycophantic.

In turn, Carlson later shot back that Stewart was “a tool of the regime in the most sinister way.”

Recently, the former Fox News anchor has been outspoken about his opposition to President Trump’s handling of the Middle Eastern conflict. In response, Trump took a swipe at Carlson, calling him “kooky” and questioning his perspective.

In a rare moment of unexpected agreement that has left both fans and critics scratching their heads, Jon Stewart—known for his liberal satire and sharp critiques of conservative media—has publicly thrown his support behind none other than Tucker Carlson, one of America’s most polarizing right-wing commentators. The unexpected moment unfolded after Carlson’s controversial remarks on the U.S.’s approach to Iran, sparking a whirlwind of debates across social media and news outlets alike.

Tucker Carlson, never one to shy away from challenging the mainstream narrative, recently criticized what he described as “reckless saber-rattling” toward Iran, warning that escalating tensions could lead to unnecessary conflict and American casualties. Surprisingly, Jon Stewart, a vocal critic of Carlson’s style and political positions for years, seemed to find common ground with him on this issue. Responding to Carlson’s monologue, Stewart quipped during a podcast appearance, “You tell him, brother! Even a broken clock is right twice a day.”

For many, Stewart’s comment was more than just a joke. It was a sign that, despite America’s fiercely divided political media landscape, there are still moments when unexpected alliances form over shared concerns about foreign policy and the cost of endless wars. Stewart, a long-time advocate for veterans and a critic of America’s prolonged military entanglements, has frequently argued that U.S. leaders fail to consider the human cost of foreign adventures.

In fact, his support for Carlson’s stance on Iran echoes Stewart’s past sentiments on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—wars that he has repeatedly said left a generation of American soldiers bearing the burden of political miscalculations. His willingness to momentarily side with Carlson, a pundit he has relentlessly mocked for years, underscores just how strongly Stewart feels about avoiding another costly military quagmire.

Reactions online have been predictably divided. Some fans cheered Stewart’s ability to “put country before politics,” praising his consistency in opposing unnecessary wars regardless of who voices the warning. Others were less forgiving, accusing him of “legitimizing” Carlson by giving him credit, even if only for a single opinion. For Stewart, however, the point seems clear: the issue is bigger than personalities or political rivalry—it’s about stopping an avoidable conflict before it begins.

Analysts say this fleeting alliance is unlikely to develop into any sort of lasting friendship or ideological partnership. Both men remain miles apart on most domestic policies, immigration, climate change, and media ethics. Yet, this moment highlights something increasingly rare in American discourse: the possibility that people with drastically different worldviews can, on occasion, agree on what they see as matters of national interest.

As Stewart himself put it with his trademark dry humor: “If agreeing with Tucker Carlson on this means we keep young Americans out of body bags, I’ll take that awkward moment any day.” In today’s hyper-partisan world, that statement may ruffle feathers on both sides, but for Stewart, standing up for what he believes is right has always mattered more than playing to his audience’s expectations.

Whether this moment will influence the broader debate about U.S.-Iran relations remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: Jon Stewart has once again reminded America that speaking truth, even when it means agreeing with an unlikely ally, is a principle he refuses to abandon.