The Best Episodes of The Daily Show Season 31

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   

   6.9/10(28 votes)

   #1 - January 5, 2026 - Sen. Mark Kelly

   S31:E11/5/2026

   Jon Stewart dives into the Trump administration's abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Trump's collusion with oil companies to exploit Venezuela's resources, and the emergence of the "Donroe Doctrine" as Trump threatens more international takeovers. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, who also served in the Navy as a captain and combat pilot, joins Jon Stewart after news broke that he was being censured by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth for telling U.S. service members to refuse illegal orders. They discuss the president's "major ego problem," why he stands by his message as the Trump administration continues to levy attacks against free speech, frustrations with Democratic leadership, and the importance of Democrats taking control of the House and the Senate to put President Trump in check.

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2. 

   5.5/10(19 votes)

   #2 - January 6, 2026 - Park Chan-wook

   S31:E21/6/2026

   Ronny Chieng unpacks former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's abduction and first day in court, where he and his wife got some good couples, time pleading not guilty to cocaine trafficking charges. Meanwhile, MAGA attempts to justify Trump's intervention by downplaying the episode, citing Christianity, and downright playing the bully. The latest scientific studies show that microplastics are just about everything, and we're ingesting them at an alarming rate. Thankfully, there's a new product that's sure to help us take advantage of all the plastic we're downing each day — eventually. Legendary Korean filmmaker, Director Park Chan-wook, sits down with Ronny Chieng (without any translation help from Ken Jeong) to discuss his new film, "No Other Choice," which he adapted from an American novel. They discuss what attracted him to this story, which follows a devoted company man who is fired and directs his rage toward his competitors on the job market.

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3. 

   6.8/10(11 votes)

   #3 - January 7, 2026 - Stephen J. Dubner

   S31:E31/7/2026

   Ronny Chieng covers how Trump is taking charge of Venezuela's oil industry and replacing their old dictator with a new one: himself. Plus, this Venezuela takeover is so much fun, the president adds a bunch of other countries to his To-Be-Overthrown list, including Greenland, and Michael Kosta couldn't be more excited to be part of Trump's nation-extorting mafia. Jordan Klepper profiles Benny Johnson, social media star turned White House press commentator, who caught Trump's eye with his generic vitriol, Russian backing, penchant for plagiarism, and unyielding obsession with Batman. Stephen J. Dubner, host of "Freakonomics Radio" and co-author of "Freakonomics," sits down with Ronny Chieng to discuss the book's 20th anniversary edition. They talk about how Dubner and his co-author Steven Levitt wove together storytelling and data to present case studies without imposing their own judgment, and how their publisher, doubtful of the title, liberated them to write the book they wanted.

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4. 

   6.5/10(9 votes)

   #4 - January 8, 2026 - Lucy Liu

   S31:E41/8/2026

   Minneapolis tells ICE to "get the fuck out" after an agent fatally shot a woman, and Ronny Chieng questions ICE's aggressive recruitment. Actress and producer Lucy Liu discusses her new film "Rosemead".

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