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

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.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
British boy band One Direction (photo credit: REUTERS)
British boy band One Direction
(photo credit: REUTERS)
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.

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.


Related Tags
Jon Stewart