Marc Maron once again addressed his long-running feud with Jon Stewart, saying it was “completely fueled” by Maron’s “insecurities.”
“John never did anything to me,” Maron told Esquire. “I was just jealous.”
Maron has previously spoken out about his rivalry with the Daily Show host, saying it dates back to when they both emerged in the comedy world in the 1990s. Maron was one of Stewart’s successors and hosted the Comedy Central clip show Short Attention Span Theater, which was canceled in 1994. Stewart soon became host of “The Daily Show” and one of the most recognizable faces in comedy.
Maron was jealous of Stewart because she thought of him as a “smart, cute, Jewish guy” who was “disciplined” and knew how to make the most of his talents. “I was never in control of my talent. I didn’t know its limits or what it was,” Maron said.
“Throughout the early part of my career, John, who is about the same age as me, was everywhere,” he added. “I was always jealous of him…I was just fucking him and in his face. It was draining. I couldn’t get through a week without him being on the cover of a magazine. For some reason I thought to him, ‘I could be more like that guy if we could just fuck together.'” …That wasn’t true. Because I was losing my mind and was definitely on to something else. ”
Asked by Esquire if he had ever tried to get Stewart to appear on his nearly 1,700-episode podcast, “WTF,” which ended earlier this week, Maron said he made the offer “early” in the show’s launch. He recalled telling Stewart about the podcast over the phone and “kind of apologizing.” According to Maron, Stewart said, “There’s no love here.”
“He said, ‘I might want to get coffee or something, but I’m not going to do that with you,'” Maron said. “And he said, ‘I think what you’re doing is very creative. Good luck.’ Just the stinging disdain…that didn’t help. And now he’s doing a podcast. So, come full circle!
