The Daily Show · Season 31 · Episode 117
October 21, 2026 - Taika Waititi
Wednesday, October 21 · 31 min · ★ 5.5 on TMDB
Ronny Chieng covers the latest political chaos as a laughing JD Vance struggles to explain his talents, a Venezuelan billionaire discovers the quickest route to Trump’s favor, and Pete Hegseth’s cancelled livestream firing squad sparks an unexpected debate. In "In My Opinion", Mo Amer looks at how Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has weathered increasingly bizarre Islamophobic attacks with a surprisingly effective strategy: being likable. Like Zohran Mamdani before him, El-Sayed is winning over skeptics, including Fox News’s Jesse Watters, with charisma and social media savvy. Later, Academy Award-winning writer-director Taika Waititi joins Chieng to discuss his new film "Klara and the Sun", making a timely story about robot companions, filming in New Zealand, and the evolution of the country’s film industry. Chieng also reflects on working with Waititi and his commitment to supporting the communities behind his films.
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