The Daily Show, Jon Stewart draw ire of One Direction fans for terrorism segment

The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart provoked a backlash earlier this summer when he offered his opinions on the Israel-Gaza conflict. This past weekend, however, he may have learned that there is an even more sacrosanct topic that is off limits when it comes to his satirical hit show – the British pop band One Direction.Fans of the group were irate after Stewart’s show aired a segment jokingly “reporting” on the proliferation of new terrorist organizations in the Middle East.As “correspondent” Jessica Williams rattled off the (fictitious) names of these sprouting organizations, she mentioned that one of the new groups “formed with one member each from ISIS, Al Nusra, al-Qaida, One Direction, and the Zetas drug cartel.”The reference to One Direction unleashed a torrent of anger and vitriol from the band’s fans on social media. The hashtag #TheDailyShowGoneTooFar became a tending topic on Twitter after fans learned of the mention of One Direction.

Dear 1D fans: We didn't know the band members' names, religions, hobbies, etc. Just knew they were popular. But not THIS popular. #whoa

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) September 26, 2014

It really hurts me people saying Zayn is a terrorist.. #thedailyshowgonetoofar pic.twitter.com/HpmMBFlDw4

— One Direction (@1DRepubIic) September 26, 2014

During the Gaza fighting, one of the members of One Direction, Zayn Malik, tweeted a “#Free Palestine” message to his followers, igniting a controversy. His fellow bandmate, Harry Styles, posted a pro-Israel tweet.Malik, who is Muslim, was not mentioned in the segment, yet fans took to Twitter denouncing any implication that he was a terrorist.