Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Jon Stewart condemned by doctor after backing lab leak coronavirus theory during Stephen Colbert interview

‘They’re putting the entertainment value of this above what’s reality’

Clémence Michallon
New York City
Wednesday 16 June 2021 01:38 EDT
Covid-19 vaccine myths debunked

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A medical doctor has condemned Jon Stewart’s comments about a theory claiming that the coronavirus pandemic was started by an accidental lab leak.

Stewart made the remarks, which have been criticised, during an appearance on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show on 14 June.

“I will say this – and I honestly mean this: I think we owe a great debt of gratitude to science,” Stewart said in part. “Science has, in many ways, helped ease the suffering of this pandemic, which was more than likely caused by science.”

In further comments, Stewart made fun of other theories pertaining to the origin of the pandemic, summarising them as “a pangolin kissed a turtle” or “a bat flew into the cloaca of a turkey and then it sneezed into my chili and now we all have coronavirus”.

On 26 May 2021, President Joe Biden said in a statement that US intelligence forces have “not reached a definitive conclusion on [the question of the origin of the pandemic]” and that he has asked for more information, to be delivered within 90 days of that date.

Speaking to TMZ Live, Dr Peter Hotez, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, urged Stewart and others to be more prudent when discussing the potential origin of the pandemic.

“Right now, the reality is there is no smoking gun to say that it’s of laboratory origin,” he said, adding that “it’s not impossible”, but more information is needed at this stage.

“They’re putting the entertainment value of this above what’s reality,” Dr Hotez added. “It causes a lot of damage because a number of scientists who work on coronaviruses including myself feel that we’re under attack right now.”

Dr Hotez said the scientific community “is open to the idea”, adding: “But what I object to is the fact that they make it sound like it’s fait accompli when in fact it’s the less likely hypothesis of how Covid-19 originated.”

The Independent has contacted Stewart’s representatives for comment.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in