The Best Episodes of The Daily Show Season 12

#1 Fan Favorite
7.6/10(31 votes)
#1 - Jake Gyllenhaal
S12:E272/28/2007
Tonight actor and star of Zodiac, Jake Gyllenhaal.Jon starts off with a story about a hepatitis exposure scare at a Sports Illustrated party for the latest swimsuit issue. Jon then talks about Vice President Cheney's recent trips overseas with John Oliver, Senior Cheney Chaser. Finally, Lewis Black in Back in Black.
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7.5/10(30 votes)
#2 - Josh Bernstein
S12:E51/15/2007
Tonight the host of Digging for the Truth and author of Digging for the Truth: One Man's Epic Adventure Exploring the World's Greatest Archaeological Mysteries, Josh Bernstein.Jon first looks at the Senate Foreign Relation Committee and the disapproval of Bush's new Iraq plan as the Senator's discuss the details with Condoleeza Rice. Finally, Senior Black Correspondent Larry Wilmore discusses Martin Luther King Jr. Day with Jon.
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7.4/10(25 votes)
#3 - Richard Preston
S12:E484/12/2007
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7.3/10(24 votes)
#4 - Tobey Maguire
S12:E585/1/2007
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7.3/10(25 votes)
#5 - Don Rickles
S12:E675/16/2007
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7.3/10(25 votes)
#6 - Allan Brandt
S12:E796/13/2007
Tonight, the author of The Cigarette Century: The Rise, Fall, and Deadly Persistence of the Product That Defined America, Allan Brandt. "Mess O'Potamia" continues as Jon reports on the second bombing of a holy Shi'ite mosque in Samara by insurgents. Jon reports on Bush's war czar Douglas Lute who says that progress in the war is uneven. Jon also talks about how the military is now fighting alongside the very same insurgents they were fighting against, which brings to mind that old adage, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The segment ends with Senior Iraq Correspondent Aasif Mandvi talking with Jon about these new developments in Iraq. Finally, Senior Black Correspondent Larry Wilmore didn't have much to say about any African-American related news, so after putting on a Detroit Red Wings cap he became a Senior Mexican Correspondent and talked with Jon about immigration reform.
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7.2/10(26 votes)
#7 - Garry Shandling
S12:E554/25/2007
Tonight, comedian Garry Shandling promotes his new DVD Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show. Jon begins tonight's show with a look at Baghdad and how the Bush administration is bridging the gap between Shiites and Sunnis by building a series of walls in Baghdad in a segment called "Extreme Makeover: Baghdad Edition". Jon then talks with Baghdad Bureau Chief Aasif Mandvi about the Baghdad walls in a segment called "Wall or Nothing". Finally, Lewis Black makes fun of several Earth Day television specials in "Back in Black".
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7.1/10(24 votes)
#8 - Ali Allawi
S12:E514/18/2007
Tonight, former Minister of Trade, Defense, & later Finance in the Interim Iraq Governing Council, Ali Allawi, who is also promoting his new book, The Occupation of Iraq: Winning the War, Losing the Peace. Jon begins tonight's show with "Mess O'Potamia", where amid one of the bloodiest days in Iraq, 6 Shiite cabinet ministers resigned because Prime Minister al-Maliki will not set a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal. Also, Jon looks at Bush's new war czar position, which has been created to apparently cut through all the federal bureaucracy bogging down the Iraq War. Since the position has been rejected by 5 generals that have been asked to fill the spot, the White House is changing the name from "war czar" to "execution manager". Finally, Senior Financial Correspondent John Oliver talks with Jon about the contradictions plaguing the U.S. economy as the stock market hits an all time high, but the dollar has reduced in value by half as $1 now equals 2 British pounds.
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7.1/10(26 votes)
#9 - Eddie Izzard
S12:E766/7/2007
Tonight, comedian and star of the FX show The Riches and Ocean's 13, Eddie Izzard. Jon begins the show by reporting on London's new Olympic logo for the 2012 Olympics. Apparently, the animated logo was removed from the internet for fear that it would cause seizures. Jon then reports on the G-8 Summit in Germany, which sparked a number of protests in a segment called "8 Simple Rulers". Also, Jon reports on Bush's clash with his buddy Vladimir Putin about what to do about the proposed missile shield over Eastern Europe. Finally, a rerun of Samantha Bee's report on gays "corrupting" Nascar by using Fructis hair care products as a sponsor in a segment called "Gays of Thunder".
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7.1/10(19 votes)
#10 - Alan Greenspan
S12:E1169/18/2007
Tonight, former Federal Reserve Chairman and author of The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World, Alan Greenspan. Jon begins tonight with a look at the burgeoning new O.J. Simpson story and the media's spin on the phrase, "What goes on in Vegas, stays in Vegas". Next, Jon tries to sum up Alberto Gonzalez in three words as Alberto enjoyed his last day as Attorney General last Friday in a segment called "That's Al Folks".
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7.0/10(23 votes)
#11 - Dr. Sharon Moalem
S12:E323/8/2007
Tonight, Dr. Sharon Moalem, author of Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease.Jon starts off with a report about journalists who are being killed in Russia for criticizing Putin. Kremlin Bureau Chief John Oliver talks with Jon about this new report. Indecision 2008 continues with a look at Clinton & Obama's Southern accent impersonations during their speech's in Selma, AL. Finally, Dan Bakkedahl, Senior Horologist, looks at the upcoming apocalypse that will be caused by daylight savings time being moved up 3 weeks.
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7.0/10(19 votes)
#12 - Pierre Rehov
S12:E595/2/2007
Tonight, director Pierre Rehov promotes his new documentary out on DVD, Suicide Killers. Jon begins the show with a good old fashioned Washington D.C. sex scandal. Deborah Jeane Palfrey a.k.a. Miz Julia, has submitted 46 pounds of telephone records from an escort service she ran for 13 years. Jon looks at the media frenzy to see which powerful D.C. men are on the list in a segment called "Beltway: Unbuckled". Senior Washington Correspondent Jason Jones talks with Jon about the how one can hire an escort legally and for nonsexual reasons, namely, by always laying down on your stomach while you get your "massage". Finally, Aasif Mandvi takes a look at both sides of the debate over Chief Illiniwek, the mascot for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who recently was retired because of protests saying the chief perpetuated rascist stereotypes in a segment called "Trail of Cheers".
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7.0/10(21 votes)
#13 - Douglas Farah
S12:E1159/13/2007
Tonight, journalist and author of Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes, and the Man Who Makes War Possible, Douglas Farah. Jon begins tonight's show with an update on Senator John McCain's Straight Talk Express bus now changed into the No Surrender bus. Jon called John over the phone to see how the new bus was treating the Senator. Next, Jon talks about Petraeus' Senate testimony and the 7 minutes allowed per Senator to ask their questions in a segment called "Iraq Me: Dave Petraeus". Senator Barbara Boxer spent the entire 7 minutes not asking a single question. Finally, Samantha Bee in a segment called "This Week In God: Back to School Edition". The religious topics this evening: a plan to teach Arabic in a public school in Brooklyn whose principal was eventually fired for a white Jewish lady, footbaths for Muslims in a university unisex bathroom, and a religious university created by the founder of Dominoes pizza.
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7.0/10(16 votes)
#14 - Evo Morales
S12:E1209/25/2007
Tonight, the current President of Bolivia, Evo Morales.
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6.9/10(24 votes)
#15 - Michael Oren
S12:E61/16/2007
Tonight journalist and author of Power, Faith and Fantasy: America in the Middle East 1776 to the Present, Michael Oren.Jon begins by looking at Steve Jobs introduction of the IPhone and then on to Iraq and the White House's public relations offensive to sell Bush's new strategy. Jon discusses Bush's plan further with John Oliver, Senior Policy Analyst. Finally, Jon delves deeper into criticism of the Bush plan with an in depth analysis of Rep. David Wu's comments comparing Bush to Star Trek's Klingons, with Senior Star Trek Analogy Analysts, Leonard Nimoy and George Takei.
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6.9/10(26 votes)
#16 - Robin Wright Penn
S12:E81/18/2007
Tonight actress and star of Hounddog, Robin Wright Penn.Jon first looks at the Doomsday Clock which was set five minutes ahead, now five minutes before midnight and world wide armageddon. Jon then looks at the start of the non-binding resolution extravaganza, where each Senator seemingly has his own resolution. Jon then looks at NBC's Dateline segment where they capture would-be child predators on camera and confront them, and ABC's Primetime Live response to that ratings grabber. Don Bakkedahl takes that story deeper by taking a look at exploitative television by seeing how people react to shocking behavior. Finally, Jon looks at Rick Sanchez, the reporter who volunteered to taser himself on camera, and all the would be reporters who follow in his painful, sometimes arousing footsteps in Taser Wars 2007.
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6.9/10(25 votes)
#17 - Lt. Col. John Nagl
S12:E1118/23/2007
Tonight, one of the military's staff who helped write the Counterinsurgency Field Manual, Lt. Col. John Nagl. Jon first reports on President Bush, who goes over a list of America's past wars to gain support for the Iraq War in a segment called "War Wars". Bush has also apparently changed his mind and is now comparing Iraq to Vietnam, saying that America's mistake was not starting the Vietnam War, but ending it. Senior Political Correspondent Aasif Mandvi reviews Bush's speech from Crawford TX talking about the potential benefits of prolonging the Vietnam War. For instance, Bush would have prolonged his college career to avoid being sent over to Vietnam and would have become a smarter man. Another added benefit, the splendor that would be the Vietnam Memorial, which could be seen from space as it stretches from D.C. to Times Square with the names of the victims.
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6.9/10(21 votes)
#18 - Jeff Garlin
S12:E1129/10/2007
Tonight, comedian Jeff Garlin promotes his new movie I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With and the airing of new shows for Curb Your Enthusiasm. Jon begins tonight's show with news that Senator Larry Craig filed court papers to withdraw his guilty plea over the bathroom sex bust. Senior Public Restroom Correspondent Rob Corddry returns to the show after spending a year undercover at the Minneapolis Int'l Airport. Rob discusses the in's and out's of gay bathroom sex etiquette. Jon concludes the segment with a song highlighting the juicy details about the Craig scandal with a hip-hop singer in a segment called "R-Party: Trapped in the Closet". Finally, "Mess O'Potamia" continues with the Petraus report coming out today and Bush's 6 hour trip to Iraq last week. Senior Foreign Policy Analyst Rob Riggle talked about the progress Bush saw with his own eyes during his short trip inside a heavily fortified part of Iraq's Anbar province.
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6.9/10(20 votes)
#19 - Jodie Foster
S12:E1139/11/2007
Tonight, actress Jodie Foster promotes her new movie, The Brave One. Jon begins tonight's show reporting on the overly hyped Petraeus report on the progress made in Iraq in a segment called "Iraq Me Dave Petraeus". As Jon notes, Petraeus' testimony before the House had some mic problems. Petraeus also gave a disclaimer before officially testifying saying that he wrote the report himself and not the White House. But as Jon shows us in back to back clips, Petraeus and Bush essentially speak the same language. Resident Expert John Hodgman stopped by to talk with Jon about his keys to success and how Bush consistently redefines failure as success.
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6.9/10(21 votes)
#20 - Jamie Foxx
S12:E1219/26/2007
Tonight, actor and star of the new movie The Kingdom, Jamie Foxx.
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6.9/10(22 votes)
#21 - Ken Burns
S12:E1229/27/2007
Tonight, documentary filmmaker Ken Burns promotes his new documentary The War, a seven part series on how WWII impacted American family life.
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6.9/10(23 votes)
#22 - Meryl Streep
S12:E13210/16/2007
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6.8/10(24 votes)
#23 - Matt Groening
S12:E917/18/2007
Tonight, the creator of The Simpsons, who is also promoting the upcoming Simpsons Movie, Matt Groening. Jon begins the show tonight commenting on the Atlanta Falcons quarterback arrested for dogfighting. Jon then reports on the Senate all-nighter as Dems try to tire Republicans out with debate over the Iraq War in a segment called "C-Span After Dark". As Jon notes, the all-night session had a simple message, 'Let Us Vote'. Dems want to vote on an amendment that would bring the troops home by next April while the Republicans are using a filibuster to block them from even voting. The final tally, 52-47, short of the 60 votes needed. Political Theatre Critic John Oliver highlights some of the more dramatic aspects of the Senate debates. Washington Bureau Chief Aasif Mandvi talks with Jon about the sacrifice Senators made in staying up all night.
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6.8/10(22 votes)
#24 - Robert Draper
S12:E1149/12/2007
Tonight, author of Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Bush, Robert Draper. Jon begins tonight's show with some news out of Russia. It seem Vladimir Putin not only dissolved his government by firing his prime minister and his entire cabinet, but also exploded the "father of all bombs", which despite its capability of evaporating all life, is also environmentally friendly. Next, Jon reports on some screaming war protesters at General Petraeus' hearing in a segment called "You're Not Helping". Jon then reports on the Democratic debates on the spanish channel Univision in a segment called "Clusterf@#k a la Casa Blanca". Some of the highlights, candidate Bill Richardson was barred from speaking Spanish so as not to gain an unfair advantage, the major topic for the night was of course immigration, and the Republican version was cancelled because only John McCain signed up. Finally, John Oliver speaks with the Qatari ambassador to the U.N.
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6.8/10(20 votes)
#25 - Jake Gyllenhaal
S12:E13310/17/2007
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The Best Episodes of The Daily Show Season 12

Seasons31

#1 - Jake Gyllenhaal

#2 - Josh Bernstein

#3 - Richard Preston

#4 - Tobey Maguire

#5 - Don Rickles

#6 - Allan Brandt

The 20 BEST Episodes of The Daily Show

#7 - Garry Shandling

#8 - Ali Allawi

#9 - Eddie Izzard

#10 - Alan Greenspan

#11 - Dr. Sharon Moalem

#12 - Pierre Rehov

#13 - Douglas Farah

#14 - Evo Morales

#15 - Michael Oren

#16 - Robin Wright Penn

#17 - Lt. Col. John Nagl

#18 - Jeff Garlin

#19 - Jodie Foster

#20 - Jamie Foxx

#21 - Ken Burns

#22 - Meryl Streep

#23 - Matt Groening

#24 - Robert Draper

#25 - Jake Gyllenhaal

Season 12 Ratings Summary

The Best Episodes of The Daily Show Season 12

Seasons31

Episode Rankings

The 20 BEST Episodes of The Daily Show

Season 12 Ratings Summary