Jordan Klepper dishes on combatting conspiracy theories and how it requires 'taking a side'

The Democratic National Convention will (obviously) serve as a magnet for politicians and journalists, thousands of whom have flocked to Chicago for the highly anticipated Democratic confab.

But the convention, which gets underway on Monday and will culminate in Kamala Harris accepting the nomination Thursday, will also draw some high-profile late-night comics. Notably, “The Daily Show” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” will take their broadcasts on the road, hosting directly from the convention site.

In advance of the convention, we caught up with Jordan Klepper of “The Daily Show” for a conversation on satire’s role in American politics, the dangers of mis-and-disinformation, whether the news media understands the toxic content coursing through the public discourse, and more. Below is the Q&A, entirely unedited, save for the notable parts I have highlighted.

OLIVER: Jordan, thank you for taking the time to do this. Tell us what you will be up to at the DNC this week?

JORDAN: Conventions are like summer camp for ‘TDS’; there’s such a heightened energy and sense of joy. What I love about coming to conventions and getting out in the field is that I get to talk to people we don’t encounter everyday. The world is more than a studio in New York, it’s a field in Pennsylvania and an arena where Michael Jordan used to play now filled with optimistic progressives.

It’s a busy week- I’ll be pulling double duty hosting ‘The Daily Show’ and reporting from the floor of the convention, I bar hopped with Governor Pritzker getting a sense of where the DNC is at, got to throw out a pitch at Wrigley and attempting to visit every bar I enjoyed back when I lived here a lifetime ago.

OLIVER: You are known for the man-on-the-street videos you film at Donald Trump rallies, in which you use comedy to expose some of the conspiracy theories and radical ideas that people have fallen prey to. Will your approach differ at the DNC, given you are talking to a different audience?

JORDAN: Our job at ‘TDS’ as always is to call out BS. It’s not about aligning with one political ideology; it’s about being comedians who get in a room, see where the flaws are and point those out. That doesn’t mean we want to equivocate and give equal weight to both sides no matter how outrageous a claim — that’s the job of the real news. Also, the dem’s aren’t immune to hypocrisy and I’m eager to see them flex their bad fashion at the DNC — as terrible Americana fashion choices has been a centerpiece of the MAGA faithful and conventions tend to give progressives a chance to bring out their weird old Dukakis scarves.

OLIVER: What do you think will be the key issues and narratives that emerge this week?

JORDAN: Obviously the Vice President and Democrats have momentum, something that seemed unlikely a few weeks ago. In strictly summer movie box office terms, it’s like a disaster movie that got over taken by the feel good movie of the year. Eager to see what Act 3 is going to look like.

OLIVER: In an era where political satire often feels like the last line of defense against misinformation, how do you see your role as a comedian? Do you believe satire can drive real political change?

JORDAN: I hope comedy isn’t the last line of defense against misinformation because if it is we’re all fucked, but I do think that for comedy to work it has to be honest and built on recognizable truths, whether that’s political satire or jokes about relationships. I don’t know if comedy can or should be a driver of change, but it can reflect and amplify the feeling of the audience and help them see it in a way that other mediums may not.

OLIVER: What do you make of how the news media has covered the 2024 race so far?

JORDAN: Journalists have a tough job. I know because I play one of TV. We’ve seen journalists threatened at political rallies and jailed for asking questions.. So it’s very easy to pass judgement from the cheap seats, so of course I will.

It’s also easy to forget that the news media is really the news media business. Maybe it shouldn’t be but as long as it is they will gravitate toward saleable narratives, and this campaign has given them a lot to work.

As a voter, I wish the new media could focus more on policy — and dear lord I’d love these candidates to sit in a room with a journalist and have to respond to legitimate follow up questions. It’s exhausting watching politicians running out the clock with in person interviews and frankly if you asked Donald Trump to clarity any of his bullshit, and didn’t relent until you had clarity, he would burst into a cloud of orange dust and disappear into the ether.

OLIVER: You are very familiar with the conspiracy theories and extremist ideas that saturate the public discourse, particularly on the GOP side of the aisle. Do you believe that the news anchors who sit behind desks in New York and Washington understand how serious of a problem this is?

JORDAN: The short anwer is yes, but the question is also misplaced. What we think of as the traditional news anchor — say Lester Holt god rest his soul at 6:30pm on broadcast — is maybe the last news position that has to be ultra careful and balanced.

I don’t think any journalist is unaware of how serious a problem conspiracy theories are and how many people simply believe what “sounds true,” but if we learned anything from 2016 it was to seriously consider the source. Journalists trained to be balanced may be the worst at poking holes in conspiracy theories because it requires taking a side. I mean, an entire season of ‘Dateline’ — if it’s still on — could be devoted to political conspiracy theories.

Also, the bigger fear I have lies with just how distrustful the public is getting of any information that doesn’t fit their narrative.

OLIVER: You've been working closely with Jon Stewart this year at “The Daily Show.” What has that been like?

JORDAN: There’s a reason people love Jon Stewart. He’s insightful. He’s been doing this for 400 years or so. The numbers prove the trust people have in Jon Stewart. I’d like to think ‘TDS’ has stumbled on something that is reflective of the way people watch news now. Like I’ve been doing the show for 10 yrs, there are so many avenues for jokes and insights I have in the political universe. ‘TDS’ has evolved with the way people interact with media now. Jon gets to do these long editorialized pieces on Monday, and then the show gets to shift and have different perspectives to shorter day-of response pieces, and we also go out in the field, and we also have a digital team creating content, and we have longer form specials. I see Jon as the godfather of this artform, coming back and clarifying how important it is that we have this machine at ‘TDS’ in more ways than we’ve ever been able to.

OLIVER: With the rise of A.I. and deepfakes, do you think the landscape for political satire will change? How might comedians need to adapt to stay relevant and credible in the future?

JORDAN: There’s a caveman aspect to comedy that may be our best bulwark against AI — comedy clubs are like our cave. Just you and audience with no algorithm in between.

Political comics are skeptical by nature so maybe we’ll be debating our A.I. selves about what’s real and funny but I am hopeful that people still appreciate a human perspective or as I like to call it Actual Intelligence gained by lived experience.

OLIVER: Let’s try to end on a positive note. What’s something that gives you hope?

JORDAN: The ability of people to be resilient and keep at it. I obviously don’t always agree politically with the people I encounter at Trump rallies, but many are parents like I am, just trying to do their best and concerned about their own future so it’s hard not to be hopeful when you see that effort.

We’ve also made enormous gains in society — whatever your perspective the fact that we’re making a choice between truly different kinds of candidates is a testament to something that’s working.