The Daily Show: Ears Edition - MAGA Spins High Oil Prices Into Patriotism & Rand Paul Beefs with Markwayne Mullin | Steve Zahn

Episode Date: March 19, 2026

Jordan Klepper breaks down how Republicans are addressing Americans' concerns about rising gas prices from the war in Iran by telling them to suck it up and quit whining, DHS secretary nominee Markwayne Mullin finds his Senate confirmation hearing dominated by an old beef with Rand Paul, and Grace Kuhlenschmidt encourages politicians to settle their differences the right way: a duel at 10 paces! On another edition of Sports War, Jordan Klepper and Desi Lydic bicker about the use of AI to fill out March Madness brackets, America's stunning loss to Venezuela at the World Baseball Classic, and backlash against an NBA event honoring a strip club. Emmy-nominated actor Steve Zahn sits down with Jordan Klepper to discuss his new film, "She Dances." They talk about wearing many hats as producer, co-writer, and actor, using his “dance dad” background to write a comedy that deals with grief, why no one else could play the part but his own daughter, and evolving with co-star Ethan Hawke from playing slackers in “Reality Bites” to being veteran actors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to Comedy Central. From the most trusted journalists at Comedy Central, it's America's only source for nude. This is The Daily Show with your host, Jordan Klober. What's much to talk about tonight. Rand Paul drags Mark Wayne's names through the mud. The NBA doesn't want to play shirts and skins, and the most disturbing thing at the gas station is no longer the bathroom.

So keep pissing on the floor, everybody. Let's get right into it with the latest on the war in Iran. Nothing bad can happen. It can only good happen. As the war continues into its third week, oil prices are skyrocketing, which is devastating for everyday Americans like commuters, truck drivers, and that guy from Dune who lives in a pool of oil. He can only afford to bathe in a kiddie pool now. It's really demoralizing.

And if you're thinking, that's fine, I rarely bathe in a pool of oil. this won't affect me. Think again. Now, if oil prices keep rising, this flows through to a lot of areas. Heating oil goes up. Airline ticket prices go up. Delivery services, public transit can go up, and groceries, child care, elder care. Gas is affecting elder care? I swear to God, if this means my grandmother can't send me $10 for my birthday,

she's f*** dead to me. Yes. For those of you who drop your nana off on a dozen, Delta flight in the morning and just let her circle around in the sky all day. It's going to get a lot more expensive. And it may surprise you, but those tennis balls old people put on the bottom of their walkers come directly through the Strait of Hormuz. Just...

Now, so, high gas prices have Maga World in a tricky position now, because there's no way to spin it as a good thing to the American people. Unless, you know what? Unless, what if we're the problem? $3.50. Gasoline. People are talking like this at the end of the world. No, it's not.

I can handle the gas prices. People can handle the gas prices. We're hardly ever called on to sacrifice anything anymore. Freedom is not free. Americans are going to have to make some sacrifices. For gas prices to go up a little bit is suddenly raising so much concern. Think of how much worse it was in World War II

than what we're facing that. Is that the bar now? It's not as bad as the worst war in human history. So stop bitching? I mean, you can dismiss any concerns that way. Oh, you're upset because home ownership is out of reach. You know who else doesn't have a home? Saving Private Ryan.

Maybe. Instead of shaming the American public for complaining about prices, a more thoughtful appeal might help. This is short term, and I'm asking you to just trust the man. Okay, trust the system, let him cook. Hold on for like two to three tanks of gas. It'll be an extra 10. to 12 bucks a tank.

Two or three tanks! You don't know how many tanks of gas I go through, man. My wife just joined a Tokyo Drift Club. She's got a Tokyo Drift right through our kids' college fund. But you heard him. This is just temporary pain that'll all be worth it in the long term.

I'm sure everyday Americans will understand and we'll take this in stride. If you could say something to President Trump and he was going to hear you right now, what would it be? You're a worthless pile of shit. Well, well, someone's not getting an invite to the new ballroom. You know what?

I'm sure that lady was probably just another Trump derangement syndrome liberal who makes her morning macho with a Ruth Bader Ginsburg whist. Let's hear what else this member of the Resistance had to say. And you voted for him how many times? Three times. That was my bad. Apparently, I'm an idiot. Wow.

She's a three-time Trump voter. Just imagine how angrier she'll be when she votes for him a fourth time. But let's move on, because unfortunately for Trump, it's not going well for him on Capitol Hill either. Two weeks ago, he sent Christy Noem to the great costume bin in the sky. And when Trump thought about who should replace Noem

as head of Homeland Security, only one name came to mind that happened to be two names smushed into one name. Mark Wayne Mullen. He had his confirmation hearing today, and some people were expecting fireworks because Mark Wayne has bad blood with committee chairman Rand Paul.

In fact, you might remember that 10 years ago, Rand Paul got beat up by his neighbor when he was mowing the lawn. And since then, Mark Wayne Mullen has taken the side of the neighbor. I believe we have a quote from Mullen about Paul. Rand Paul's a freaking snake,

and I understand. completely why his neighbor did what he did. Oh, low blow, Mark Wayne. Pick it on someone with half of your names. I mean... Although, to be fair, while Rand Paul does only have one first name, it is his last name for some reason. All very confusing.

Of course, that fight was a decade ago. This is an important confirmation hearing. I don't think Rand Paul is going to use it to try to settle old scores. You told the media that I was a freaking snake and that you completely understood why I had been assaulted. You had never had the courage to look me in the eye

and tell me that the assault was justified. Tell me to my face, why you think I deserve it. A lack of contrition, no apology, and no regrets. So you say you completely understood that I was assaulted from behind, had six rooms broken, and part of my lung removed. Whoa! Whoa! You had a lot built up there, man.

You said your pee. Now it's out of your system. We can move on with more pressing issues. When I talked to you on the private, privately on the phone, there was no apology. Somehow you think I'm just going to set that aside? I don't...

I haven't heard the word apologize. Haven't heard the word regretted. You supported the felonious violent attack on me from behind. Who do you think started that character is as a solution? I'm repeating your support for the assault. You have no regrets about being happy, being completely understanding why I was attacked from behind. Are those still your opinions?

Oh. Mark Wayne, Mark Wayne, Mark Wayne. Think he's a little upset? Maybe out of respect, just to help smooth things over. Tell Rand Paul, you do not support his neighbor beating the shit out of him. I did not say I supported it. I said I understood it. There's a difference.

Not half of your co-worker says, I don't support cannibalism, but I understand it. You're not trying the shepherd's pie. They're bringing to the potluck, okay? But look, Rand Paul was actually trying to get at a question about Mark Wayne's temperament. Because Mark Wayne didn't just not apologize. He also had a unique argument in defense of political violence. You did many interviews in which you justified the violence as historically justified by precedence, such as caning and dueling.

What I was simply pointing out is some of the rules that still applied to this body. For instance, dueling with two consenting adults is still there. I was pointing out what is still... for 170 years. I'm sorry. Does the next Homeland Security Chief think that dueling is still legal? My man, it's definitely not legal to duel,

even if your first name is currently involved in one. But Senator Mark Wayne, rather than dueling, may suggest that it's actually just much easier to just apologize. I've even got the perfect phrase for you. My bad, apparently I'm an idiot. Yeah. Put it on, see how it fits.

For more on the confirmation hearing of Mark Wayne Mullen, we go live to the Capitol with Grace Koolishman. Grace, God damn it. Why are you dressed like puss and boots? Because, sir, on this issue, I am with both Mark and Wayne. Honorable way of settling disputes than to put on one's dueling gloves and meet the moment. Okay, Grace.

This isn't the 1800. Senators can't just resolve disputes with pistols at dawn. That's a stupid idea. Stupid. You besmirch my honor before God and I shall see you at dawn in front of the Sabaro's

at the Square of Times. No, look. No. No. No. I am not dueling you in Times Square. Look, okay. I apologize for offending you. All right.

Bubs back on. Honestly, dueling makes sense to me. A quick fight to get the conflict over with? I mean, I come from a big Sicilian family. And our arguments can last for years. I'm sorry, a Sicilian family? Koolenshmitt doesn't... Doesn't sound Sicilian to me.

How dare you, sir? You question the results of my ancestry.com reports. a response but one response. I challenge you to a duel. All right. Grace. Grace. Grace. I just think dueling is an immature way to solve a problem. Look, look. I'm

sorry. I believe you're Italian. Grazie mele, Jordan. Okay. Gloves back on. Okay. Great. I just think that our Senate is already old and dysfunctional enough as it is. We don't need to add dueling into the mix.

Well, that's why dueling makes so much sense. If senators aren't going to retire at a normal age, then dueling is the next best option. It's, it's nature's term limit. Regardless, grace, and, you know, with all due respect and honor to you and your Kulinschmidt famiglia, I respectfully disagree. You scoundrel.

You dunderhead, you infantile mountebank. The gloves are up again. Okay, okay. It seems like you just want an excuse to duel me. So bad. Yeah, how much this hat cost. I have made a promise to my fair Rosalie before she gave me this perfumed handkerchief.

Whoever wins our duel shall have her made in hand in marriage. No, I absolutely do not want that. I'm actually already married. It's fine. She's Polly. Okay, fine. Great schoolish bin, everybody. We come back. My morning flew by and I didn't have time to cook anything.

And I looked up at the clock and now it's 10 a.m. and I'm hungry. And it's March? That's what I said to myself this week, realizing that life is super chaotic and we just don't have time to do everything that we want. What do I want? Easy nutrition that's ready for me whenever I want that actually tastes good. This is where my friends at Hewell come in, sponsor of this podcast. That's H-U-E-L.

H-U-E-L. H-L is a perfect solution for high-protein routine support, busy days, habit-building, convenience and control this year. I have goals to be healthier and keep on top of my nutrition this year. And fortunately, I've found an easy way to stick to my habits, all without compromising my nutrition and goals. This is thanks to Huell. If I'm being honest, I am absolutely the person who looks up at 1 p.m. and realizes I've had coffee, just coffee. No breakfast, no lunch, just caffeine. So lately I've been keeping Huell Black addition around to stop myself from doing that. On the days I'm sprinting out the door, I grab a black edition ready to drink.

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I'll blend it with ice and milk if I'm doing a whole smoothie moment, or I just shake it with water if I'm being lazy. With a bigger boost of 40 grams of protein, same complete nutrition, just a different vibe. The RTD plus powder duo has basically become my insurance policy against chaotic days. With a limited time offer, get Huell today with an exclusive offer of 15% off online with the code Daily Show at huell.com slash daily show. New customers only. Thank you to Huell for partnering and supporting this. show. If you're busy, this is a game changer. Daily show, I think I speak for everyone when I say politics,

drools and sports rules. For a full recap of the biggest stories in the world of jocks and straps, we turn to sports war. Get ready for battle. It's time for sports war. Brought to you by gambling. Gambling. It's God's test to see if you're a pussy. Baggers and tea baggers, I'm Desi Lydic. And I'm Jordan

Klepper. This is Sports War. the show where we are legally not allowed to agree with each other. So if I say ice hockey is the best kind of hockey... Then I say, screw that, it's tonsil hockey. I've been told by multiple people it's the best kind of hockey. And one day I'll get my shots. Moving on. We're halfway through March and my pee is green,

which I hope is from St. Paddy's Day, but it also means that March Madness is upon us. And this year, there's a foolproof way to pick the winner. March Madness is just two days away. if you haven't done so yet, it's time to fill out those brackets. This season, though, some people are turning to AI to create the best bracket. Not only can AI better inform your picks, it actually gives you better odds of avoiding that dreaded bracket buster. What? What? No, no. This is madness and not good madness, like March madness.

Bad madness. Like what Shia LeBoof has. AI should not be settling our brackets. I'm happy to just picking the school with the hottest mascots. Plus, I tried using Grock to fill out my bracket, and it just warned me that Jewish teams control the weather. Jordan, you drooling giraffe. AI picking college basketball is the future I've been waiting for. Letting AI write my bracket means I finally have the time to do things that I love.

Like letting AI fuck my husband. Thanks, AI. I haven't had a fake headache in six months. And that brings us to my slop prop better than night. Who will grok pick to win March Madness? Brought to you by gambling. Gambling, it's a hobby and an addiction. It's a hobdiction.

Let's move out to baseball, America's favorite sport in 1945. Well, last night at the World Baseball Classic, Venezuela kidnapped a win from the USA. The World Baseball Classic stunner for Team USA. Venezuela scored the go ahead, run late, and shut down the Americans in the bottom of the knife to win. Three to two. It is Team Venezuela's first championship at the World Baseball Classic. What? What?

America lost the World Baseball Classic? Something I just learned about four seconds ago? I will never get over this. Being humiliated on the World Stage is something we do on the battlefield, not the baseball field. Shame on America. has mostly Cuban and Dominican team for losing to Venezuela. Actually, Desi,

it was mostly white Americans on our team. What? Were we even trying to win? Desi, did you staple your wig to your brain again? Come on. It's fine that Venezuela won the WBC. Venezuela's going to be part of America in a few weeks, so

either way, that trophy is ours. We did it, boys! Which brings us to our wallet invasion, Bed of the Night, soon to be U.S. State will win the World Cup. Brought to you by gambling. Gambling, you can bet on war now. Moving on to the only thing more American than baseball, strippers.

The NBA has canceled a strip club promotion planned by the Atlanta Hawks. The team had planned to celebrate Atlanta's Magic City Strip Club. They said it was going to be a tribute to the iconic cultural institution. Oh, good for you, NBA, for canceling this program. Don't get me wrong. I love and fully support the idea of including more women in the NBA, but this is not the way to do it.

If it were up to me, women would get their own league where they get to play basketball. We could call it something catchy like the NBA for women. Or, girls be hooping. I'm an ally. Hold for applause. How about you hold my nuts in your mouth? Should the NBA have kept this promotion, they should have gone to this promotion, they should have gone to further. I want an NBA game with the full strip club experience. Lap dances in the nosebleeds. Taking out cash from an ATM with a $79 service fee. Turning location sharing off on my phone. Wiping the glitter off my face with a rally towel. Using a foam finger to...

Datsy, does he. Okay. Okay. Stop. Which brings us to our making it rain bed of the week. Which Magic City Stripper will fall off the pole first. Brought to you by gambling. That can't be wrong. Well, that's all the time we have for sports war. Join us next week as we debate if Air Bud is the greatest animal athletes of all time. No way. I know a salamander named Joe that is sick at hockey. You don't know a sad about it.

And stars in the new film She Dances. Please welcome Steve Zahn. That's so nice. Congratulations. This is a lovely movie. It really is. You wear many hats in this movie? I co-wrote this movie?

I co-wrote it with my partner, Rick Gomez, who directed. I directed it. I produced it. I acted in it. And yeah, I, I, I, now I'm pushing it. Now you're pushing it. Now you're marketing it?

I'm doing the dog and pull me show, what we call it. But here's what I'm most focused on right now. These are many, many hats, but you're also a dance dad, which is what this movie, this movie looks at, being a dance dad. Because, spoiler alert, your daughter is in this movie. It's amazing to why. You get to act with your daughter in this movie. Yep. Yeah, that's amazing.

my daughter. Was that tough taking that creative license? Was that a difficult, difficult joke? You know, I mean, yeah, this is a world that I was a part of for years and years and years. It's like your kids, like they get it, you automatically go into some subculture. You never thought you'd be a part of. And you're like hauling horses around the country or like at chess tournaments going, do it, you know? And so I was a dance dad.

I was backstage. I was the prop guy. I was putting sets on set, you know, stage. And yeah. And so this is a story about that world. I'm an estranged father takes his daughter to her last dance competition with her friend. And yeah, and it's a comedy, but it's also about a family dealing with grief. Yeah. Now, when you're actually Steve, the father at a dance competition, at what point you're like, I want to turn this into art, a.k.a. I want to start this into art, a.k.k. I want to stop paying attention to the competition and try to utilize this for my own artistic means.

I would, it was, it was Rick and Kobe. Oh, it was Rick's problem. Oh, it was Rick who wanted to do it. I was at this last competition. I took my daughter to a national nationals, their last one. This is how this all came about. And I kept taking videos and sending, you know, calling my friends, Rick and Kobe. And they were like, dude, this is crazy.

It was at the Gaylord Hotel in Nashville. Have you ever been there? I have not, no. It's psychotic. There's like a water park, and there's like, there's, like, theme, they have, like, their own theme, like, you know, like the moose. And they have, like, a river that goes through it. And there was, like, you could have a tour on a fake river.

You can take a tour inside the hotel? It's crazy. Look it up. Anyway, I want to do a movie about a dance competition. There's a movie here. We got to do it. Okay. We got to do it.

What was it like? And then you're like, at what point are you? like, I want to do it with my daughter. Well, that was right away. I mean, once the thought came before our brains, we were like, well, this will have to be Audrey. I mean, when we wrote it, there was no one else that could play the part, really. And Audrey is amazing. Now, I'm her dad.

So, go see the movie. You tell me. You tell me. She's amazing. Yeah. I'm really proud. It's honestly, it's joyful as an audience member to watch it, knowing both the story, but knowing you guys together in a scene.

There's just something so heartwarming about seeing that, but I have to imagine it being kind of a mind-fucked to be in a scene with your daughter. Because you're going through some grief-at moments, some joy at moments. There's a lot going on. Yeah, it's pretty heavy. I mean, yeah, it's my whole family's in this. My son's in it. My wife is in it.

It was all hands on deck. It's a snapshot of my life that will always be there. You know? Yeah. It's great. That's lovely. But also for all the other actors who are looking for work, it's sort of a fuck you to that. Yeah, like Ethan?

Yeah, I'm glad you got Ethan Hawk work. Wow. Ethan Hawke. Thank God that guy's in a movie. Oh, wow. So glad you're looking up for the little guy in this, Steve. Yeah. We had so many friends that are part of this.

Well, it's fun to see Ethan Hawking there. I think back, you guys were in reality bites together. Way back in the day. Like, another culturally important film looking at youth culture, and now here you are playing a father looking at youth culture of today. How is that? Yeah, it's insane. I mean, Ethan and I still think we're, like, 24.

Until we look in the mirror. And then it's like, what? But yeah, no, it's weird to be. kind of like, you know, a veteran. Yeah. Yeah, it's really strange. It's, you know. What does your family thought about that?

You were now, you know, grew up playing some iconic slacker characters. Mm-hmm. And now you've sort of aged into being a father figure. Is that strange for your family who understands the business, but to watch you be a father and so many other projects? I don't know. You'd have to ask them, man. They wouldn't come on the show, you know?

You were our fourth choice. Yeah, no, I mean, I finally started doing things that my family could watch. Or I wasn't like, you know, high and, you know, selling drugs or whatever. But it is interesting how you go through your career. Like, you know, you're like, you play the slacker. And then you're the dad and then you're the coach. You know, and then I'll be like the old guy. Like, buy a ticket?

You know, like, are you a workshop here right now? I like it. Ethan and I will be doing that. I'm glad you're still throwing him a bone. Okay, that's good. Yes. Well, he's in my stuff. I'm in his stuff. You know, we know we're not going to go golf together.

We're like, hey, we're going to have to, like, write movies and make them so we can hang out. Isn't that the truth nowadays? It is kind of the truth. You got people to come to Kentucky. You filmed this in your hometown. What is it about Kentucky that you wanted to show off? Well, we had a good tax incentive. That's what I wondered.

That's what you see it on the screen. You're like, oh, my gosh, the tax incentive is beautiful. But it's also, it's kind of like the Wild West. I mean, we had to... You know it's struck. It's right in the middle of the country. It is definitely not the... It's more the center.

It's like, it's the West and... 1780. 17. Okay. Yes. The lines were gone early. We would do like, we had a scene on the interstate. And they were like, do we need permits?

They're like, no, you're good. Hey, really? And I had my mechanic tow us. It was a little movie, guys. Are they staying at your house at that point? Yeah, no, we had everybody in. We had everybody in our town, Midway, Kentucky, and it's 1,600 people. We had our production office.

All the Keys stayed in houses brought their dogs, and we would prep the movie and rehearse. We rehearsed for two weeks, which is unheard of. And that's why I think it's so good. Yeah. And people fell in love with our little town. It's one block, one light. There's a blinking light, but I don't count that one.

You shoot it from all the angles. You shoot it from all the angles, so it almost, When you watch it on screen, it looks like a time with three or four lungs. The other light kept going to red. I've never stopped at that light, ever one, not one time. But he was in the paper. They were like, why has the light keep Turner Bread? The paper was bitching about the accuracy of the film?

Yeah, somebody said, oh, they're doing work, and I think there's a metal thing over the trip wire deal, and that might be the problem. You're not making a very compelling argument for local media. I got to tell you. It's a Facebook page. Local media, like I said. That's what it is.

This is the first project in your new production company. Is that correct? Yeah. We also made a docu-series on a chef called You Belong Here, Local Chef, actually, in Midway. But this is the first feature that we made. What are you hoping to do with the production company? What kind of projects do you want to do?

I don't know. We just want to make stuff, you know? And we call it Macaroni Art Productions because it just we thought, You know, it's kind of like when you're a kid and you make art at camp and you hope it's good enough to stick on the fridge for a couple weeks. And we just love making stuff, you know. But if we can make stuff in the twilight of my career with all my friends and family, that'd be great. Well, I think you're off to a good start. It's a great film.

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