The Daily Show: Ears Edition - TDS Time Machine | Winter

Episode Date: December 26, 2025

Take a snow day with The Daily Show as we look back at coverage of the worst of winter over the years. Jon Stewart reports on unexpected snow while Stephen Colbert freezes to death. Stacey Grenrock-Woods witnesses the majesty of Yellowstone's natural snowmobiles. Ed Helms gets seasonally depressed. Aasif Mandvi gets lost in the storm. Sam Bee and Jessica Williams miss the snow altogether. And Trevor Noah can't relate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to Comedy Central. Finally, an excuse for my sedentary lifestyle. A huge winter storm that dumped more than a foot of snow on the plain states, who it should be noted have good personalities, has moved eastward in a 75-mise. band stretching from Washington, D.C. to Boston. There was snow, snow mixed with rain, just rain, and what many are calling Roe or Snane. All right, not that matter.

Cities hit particularly hard included Cincinnati, whose residents were just starting to dig themselves out when they decided things looked better covered up. In West Virginia, in West Virginia, thousands of people were without power, But officials promised that someday soon the state will finally get electricity. In Kansas, oh, we're going around the country. In Kansas, the storm shut down Interstate 70 from Waukeenie to the Colorado border, bringing hate crimes to a standstill. And all but ruining the Fog Hat Tavern Tour, 99.

But right off the bat, many of you know, there was a gigantic snowstorm that was slated. snowstorm that was slated to hit the eastern seaboard earlier in the week. And man, oh man, did that do nothing? Here in the city, it was actually 72 degrees and sunny yesterday. But it was a storm. It moved up north, and we did want to keep track of it. So we sent our Daily Show meteorologist, Stephen Colbert,

up to northern Maine, to check out the storm that wasn't. There you go. And we're going to go check that out now. We're going to go up to Steven as he's up there. Stephen Colbert, I understand conditions where you are are actually a little worse than they were in the New York area. Indeed they are, John. Indeed they are.

Yeah, Steven, that looks like a blizzard. Put on a coat, for God's sakes. I'm afraid I can't do that, John. I didn't bring a coat. The whole idea of the story was that there wasn't going to be a storm, if you'll remember. Well, there was no storm here in New York, Stephen. Just listen to me.

Get in your car and come. home. I'm afraid I can't do that right now. John, as you can see, I had a little trouble here with my Camry. I rolled it. Well, at least get in the car and get out of the cold until it flows over. I can't do that either, John. I lock the keys in the car.

Honest mistake could happen to anybody. Keep reminding the crew of that. Well, just flag down the first car that you see and get some shelter. It's dangerous. I can't do that either. Evidently, the state is closed down this street. is closed down this stretch of the highway. So it's just sort of a wait and see situation right now.

John, wait and see. Back to you. Well, Steven, stay warm, okay, buddy? Okay. How? All right, we'll check back in with Steven later. Time permitting, boy, that, we didn't think it was snowing. We apologize.

I'm getting word that Stephen Colbert is checking back in if I can just go over there. Steven, are you okay? What do you have for us? John, do you know the best way to get away from a wolf is? All right, I like riddles, what? What's the best way? I don't know, I'm asking you, John.

What's the best way to get away from a wolf? I don't get it. Okay. We'll be right back. Once again, we're gonna go live to Stephen Colbert, Stranded in Maine. It looks like Panic. Nob Scott or Kenna Bumport.

How are you holding up? I feel a little bit better, John. Got some strength back. I managed to capture and eat the sound guy. You ate him. You've only been trapped for 20 minutes. Yeah, but we'd already cut him open and tried to crawl inside for warmth,

so I figured as long as the meat was exposed, you know, none's the wiser. Stephen, how can you justify cannibalism? John, I just want his family and loved ones to know that he was delicious. We didn't waste anything, not a scrap. Very thoughtful, Stephen. You, you, hang in there, buddy.

He ate the sound man. That's our show for tonight. Before we leave, we want to check in one last time with our own Stephen Colbert. Steven, I gotta say, you're not looking good. How you feeling? I'm actually feeling pretty good, John. I'm actually getting kind of warm. No, Stephen, that means you're freezing to death.

Don't lie down. You got to keep moving. I love you, Timmy. Timmy? I'm sorry I told Mom about that baseball you stole. I'm sorry, Timmy. Oh, my God. You know what?

We got to get them out of there. We got to send the Daily Show Chopper to get it. How much it? It costs that much? Can we send an intern? Well, I'm sure he'll be fine. Acting! This holiday season, comfort is sharing cozy mornings with the people you love.

Avocado products transform your home into a peaceful, grounding retreat, made with certified, organic, and sustainably sourced materials. From breathable bedding to handcrafted mattresses, avocado is all about true, comfort so you can rest, recharge, and wake up refreshed all season long. Every product is thoughtfully made with the planet in mind so you can feel good about the comfort and quality you bring into your home. Prioritize rest and recharge with avocado's organic comfort. Head to avocadogreenmatress.com today to create your natural oasis and save big during their holiday sale.

Avocado, dream of better. Now, despite its troubles, Yellowstone remains, along with Bronson Pinchot, one of America's national treasures. Oh, Balke. But it does have at least one endangered species does Yellowstone, as our own Stacey Grenrock Woods reports. From the bison to the elk, Yellowstone National Park is home to some of America's most spectacular wild. But there's one amazing creature here that is in grave danger of extinction. That creature, the snowmobile. Years ago, the snowmobile roamed free in Yellowstone Park.

The natives called them Yamaha and used every part of them out of respect for the snowmobile. But in the late 1990s, tragedy. The snowmobile's natural enemy, Wildville Clinton, while Bill Clinton tried to rid the park of them. Things looked bleak. Their numbers began to dwindle. But then hope. Environmentalist George W. Bush signed an order

reintroducing these magnificent creatures into the delicate Yellowstone ecosystem. Look right here, you can see fresh snowmobile tracks. Let's follow them. If you listen closely, you can almost I hear them. John Katten of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition describes the joy of having the snowmobile back in the park.

You can leave the park sometimes with your ears ringing, with the taste of the snowmobile pollution in the back of your throat, being able to smell it in your clothes. I mean, I literally one time had this sensation when I went home that I had been using a power tool all day. And he's not alone in his love of the snowmobile. I never can see him enough. It's something to respect, but don't fear it.

If you looked down on a trail and saw no snowmobiles, what would go through your mind? What a waste. What a waste. But there's good news. news this month has seen the birth of several snowmobile cops if the snowmobile is to flourish in the park it will be because of people like Randy Robertson who cares for them tags them and releases them these parks here

are all the same model these are the players trail touring what's this one's name trail touring Randy brought me into the snowmobile infirmary What's wrong with this one? We're probably doing an oil change on this one. So it's injured? Stacey, I don't know where you're going with this. I mean, it's a vehicle. Right.

It must be very scared. Yes, scared. Because of the snowmobile can't go into Yellowstone, it will have nowhere to go. Except the 10,000 trails just outside the park. On this magnificent day, Randy and I were lucky enough to release trail touring into the wild. Should we let him go here? Sure.

Go, little guy. Go! Fly like the wind! Don't look at me, don't look back, just go! But here in the Northeast, the talk isn't of politics. Old man winter left work angry on Friday. And the results can only be described as the storm of the weekend. A torrent of snow buried the Northeast this weekend in a blanket of fluffy white stuff.

We all knew was coming, but nevertheless pretended was somehow different than in previous years. The pre-winter storm caused multiple problems from traffic tie-ups to canceled flights to the very dangerous wet camera lens. The heaviest snowfall came in Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire, which got almost four feet, disrupting the New Hampshire campaign season and almost completely obscuring Dennis Kucinich. He's not a tall man.

No blood for... New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg saw the weather as a perfect chance to spend quality time with the family. It's a good time to take the kids and go sledding in the parks. They're safe. They're clean. They're open. Adding, well, they're open. This weekend's weather marks the unofficial start of winter, a season full of holiday cheer for most Americans, but not all. Our own Ed Helms has more. The Christmas season is here again, and do you know what that means?

That's right, the holiday blues, or as I like to call it, crippling depression. The professionals call it seasonal affective disorder. It's a type of depression that starts in late fall, continues through the long winter, all the way to early spring. I asked psychologist Ella Lasky what the, quote, symptoms are. They would feel blue. They would feel down, no energy, and a lot of overeating of sweets and starches in a misguided attempt to make you feel better. And there are other symptoms, sleep disturbances, tensile failure, listless festooning, inability to finish figgy pudding, Nat King Colesores, Falalala lethargy, mistletoe performance anxiety, enlarged fruitcake, and Jing

gold balls. Luckily, there are solutions. Medication, the light box, and or therapy. Oh. But those things are expensive, which is why I'm bringing you tips to beat the holiday blues on a budget. There are plenty of people who will listen to your problems for free. Then my mom jumps in and she's like, you have bad posture. Maybe the shoes I'm wearing, maybe arched,

arched my back over a little bit or maybe it's the fact that they were Velcro and the kids made fun of me and every time the kids made fun of me do you have to get that okay fine get plenty of sunlight but I don't have a sunlamp and I can't afford a trip to Florida but what I do have is this killer strobe light from high school I feel great. A cheap way to get good meds is to write a threatening letter to the president. It's like sending away for free psychiatric treatment.

Should be any second now. You'll be held for a cheerful observation period and pumped full of complimentary medication. Try electroshock therapy, which you probably thought you couldn't afford. Fortunately, with a little creativity, there's a cheaper and more convenient alternative. Hit it! The cheapest treatment of all is good old-fashioned exercise. It doesn't cost a thing to do the one exercise that makes everyone happy. Skipping.

None of this working. Christmas still getting you down. There's one last resort. Be a Jew, or at least act like one. The Jews are a traditional. The Jews are a tradition. Mopee people, and their expectations around the holidays are low. You'll never be disappointed being a Jew. You know, I didn't really, I didn't take Graham seriously. You know that the world's about to blow up? You know how excitable Southerners can get? Until I saw this.

The metropolitan Atlanta area largely paralyzed. Pregnant women and children trapped on the road. children left to spend the night in their schools. An abandoned car purgatory. Like the zombie apocalypse, the walking dead. Lord have mercy, Linda Graham was right. He was right. Oh, I've always depended on the kindness of strangers to give me a ride.

The Ice Age zombie doomsday apocalypse has come to Atlanta. Damn you, gay marriage! Why didn't we listen? I can't... I can't even imagine... I can't even imagine how much snow it must take to bring about the zombie apocalypse. Three feet, ten feet? Two inches of snow hit the area.

Really? Two inches of snow? I mean, is that what happens when the South is confronted by something not specifically mentioned in revelations? Is that? We're ready for the horsemen of the apocalypse and rivers of blood, but Jesus didn't say nothing here about snow tires. And that is not to diminish the real trouble the storm has caused. I would not want to be in Atlanta's snowshoes right now. Jennifer Wilkins has been in her car for more than 20 hours. My brother-in-law spent the night in a Home Depot. A woman who has been sitting in a Walgreens for 19 hours. They had to sleep in their car.

They had a friend come and deliver food to them. friend didn't have any extra space in their car maybe giving him a ride home so they wouldn't have to sleep on the front hey man I heard about your trouble here's some co-cola and slim jims got to go you know they could have shared the it's okay for two people to share a car right I mean I know the last time anyone in Atlanta carpooled was this but still you know This is an emergency. How was Georgia so ill-prepared, governor?

We have been confronted with an unexpected storm. There's not anybody in this room that could have predicted the degree and the magnitude of the problem that developed. Sure, no, I guess that's probably the case, unless anyone in that room had been watching what I, what I guess, I guess you call it the weather. The weather channel's Mike Seidel has the very latest. We have winter storm watches and warnings into Atlanta. There'll be snow, sleet, and freezing rain. Two inches of snow.

That will literally shut down the city. Could see accumulations of one to two inches. For God's sakes, Governor, you were given a memo. Snowstorm determined to strike within Atlanta. Not only were they warned, but the call was coming from inside the house. The weather channel, which is actually located in Atlanta. The weather channel is located in Atlanta. It's right there.

Also, located in Atlanta, also located in Atlanta, the Society for Prevention of Highway Stuggage and the National Department of Seeing Gumbing. Now, I'm going to ask again, where were the mayor and the governor when the citizens of Atlanta

were stuck in their cars eating their own piececicles? Yesterday morning, Atlanta Mayor, Kossam Reed, tweeted, Atlanta, we are ready for the snow. And here he is, a short time later, not in some kind of situation.

room or emergency operations center, but with Georgia governor, Nathan Deal, accepting an award for Georgian of the year. He got an award, who did he beat out for Georgian of the year? Paula Dean and the guy who raped Ned Beatty in deliverance? How'd the local media handle it? This is our continuing coverage of the winter storm

and our state of emergency right now. We have a team of 25 reporters spread out all over Metro Atlanta and North Georgia. Oh my God! It's a 12th century. My God, it's a 25 newsbox pile-up. We go now to Asif Monvey, live there in Atlanta. Asif, how are you? John, the situation on the ground is just chaos.

I'm sorry, Asif. I don't know where you are. Which box are you in? Oh, no, no. I'm third row down, John, four columns in. All right, that's one, two, three. I'm one of only two brown dudes, John. I see the one guy there as a brown dude.

I see you. I see awesome, there you are, there you are. Finally, yeah. Awesome, one thing, I'm unclear though. How could Atlanta be so strongly affected by the snowfall when it's just two inches? Well, what do you mean? Just two inches?

John, I can tell you from personal experience that two inches is a lot more impressive than itself. Okay? People talk about other cities having 12, 13 inches. Yeah, right. Maybe in the movies, trust me, they're millennia cities out there who fight two inches way too much to handle yeah i i i guess i suppose in some situations i could see awesome where did you go you moved into a different

where are you i think i think they moved me john i'm telling you it is chaos down here where where are you now because i have no idea i'm being i'm being told that i'm now at box 18b i'm up here it's it's it's up it's in it's in the messaging i got you I got you. I got you. Okay, okay. Tell me what's going on. Anyway, the point is, it's not the size of the snowfall that matters, okay? It is the duration of the condensation, if you get my snow drifts. I'm sorry, Osam. Are you trying to tell us you have a two-inch penis? What? I wish. In this fucking cold, it's half that, okay?

At best. Oh, no, it's happening again. What's happening? What? No, Austin, what's happening? No! Tell Jason's wife I love her! Thank you, Asif. Take care. Ossif Mondi, everybody. We'll be right back.

The mayor, Bill de Blasio, is here, apparently to shovel outside. Today, New York, hit with six to, let's say, 28 inches of snow. It's actually providing the mayor with a chance for some snow removal redemption. This is a first significant snowfall. that Mayor de Blasio has had to deal with since he came under fire for his handling of the last snowstorm in late January. Many on the Upper East Side and in other areas in Manhattan complained that snow plows did not get to them for about 24 hours while other arteries in places like Brooklyn and Queens were fully clear. You can imagine De Blasio got an earful from the Tony or Upper Side residents used to Mayor Bloomberg,

carrying them individually from their apartments. to the chopper. Did de Blasio handle today's snowfall better? Best fucking snow team on television has the answers. First, we go to Samantha B in Time Square. Sam, nice to see, how are you? Oh, Sam, look it for that. That's incredible.

It's looking really good there, Sam. Yes, they cleared the snow right away. It means business is booming for this quintessential New York landmark district. Places like Ye old Disney store. New York's famous. Olive Garden, the M&M store, and you don't get more New York than the historic Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.

Oh, shrimp scampy, fried shrimp, barbecueed shrimp, shrimp, shrimp cocktails. Only in New York, kids. Only in New York. Thank you, Sam. And he also apparently made it day. Jessica Williams right now out in Brooklyn, a borough traditionally left slightly underserved. Jessica, how did it go out there in Brooklyn today? It went pretty good, John.

There are no traffic problems. In fact, it's 82 degrees and it's sunny. Mayor de Blasio made it summer in Brooklyn. How is that possible? Oh, yeah, I don't know. But the only snow in sight is right here. Thank you. The man loves Brooklyn, so stay cool.

All right. Thank you, Jessica. We're going to go back to Manhattan, though, and check in on the Upper East Side. Asif Manvi. power conditions there, Ossef. Well, not good, John. Not only is the city not cleared the streets, it seems that De Blasio's plows are actively bringing snow in.

Holy . Are you, you look completely buried in a snowbank. Are you cold? Are you okay? Well, I can't foot my legs, John. But hey, that is life in De Blasio's New York. Seems that he's hell bent on making the city unlivable for the rich. But it can't, Ozit, it can't be that bad.

It's... Everyone's so covered in snow that the Barney's security guards don't even know who to detain anymore. Right, well, I can see it covers up. Everybody looks white, who do you hold? Listen, it sounds... Ausef.

Ausef, what is that? Awesome! John, that's the Somali warlords. They've kind of taken over Park Avenue. They're battling the polar bears for dominance. All right. Ossim Monby on the Upper East Side, ladies and gentlemen. They're a f***ed snow team on television.

Let's kick things off with the crazy weather sweeping across the United States today. Because right now, everywhere in the country, if you look outside your window, you're seeing snow. I mean, except for Florida. If you're looking outside your window, that white stuff you're seeing, that's probably cocaine. But for the places that aren't used to having winter, this storm is causing major problems. Nearly 200 million Americans are now in the path of a dangerous winter storm system, with warnings and alerts now stretching from the Mexican border all the way to Maine. 44 states on alert this morning.

About 70% of the continental U.S. is covered in snow right now. That is the highest in a decade. Nowhere is harder hit than Texas, where more than 3 million homes and businesses are without power and heat, the electrical grid simply can't handle the demand. Officials imposed rolling blackouts, saying the lack of energy is due in part to frozen wind turbines in West Texas knocked offline. Pipes freezing and bursting across the state, and these power lines sizzling, taken out by heavy ice in Louisiana.

Go down, go down, go down, go down. Frozen Road sent an 18-wheeler careening out of control near Austin, and a man nearly lost his life, jumping just seconds before a car lost control and crashed into a police cruiser. Oh, hell no. Trucks spinning around? Cars flying off the road?

This storm has turned Texas into that ice level for Mario Kart. If I was in Texas right now, I'm carrying around a green show with me just to be safe. And how about that guy who jumped out of the way of a flipping car? That was some real action movie shit, like real-life action movie. The only thing missing was him turning to the camera afterwards with like one of those cool one-liners. Ice try, buddy. And you got to understand this is especially tough for Texans because they're not equipped for snow. They don't have snow shovels out there.

their best bet is to grab their AR-15s and shoot each snowflake before it lands. Go back to Canada where you belong! But this just goes to show you that with climate change, everyone has to be prepared for every kind of condition no matter where you live.

You're in Arizona? Well, you better get a parker. Minnesota, you need a big sun hat. New York, you start carrying around an anti-scorpion spray. And that's not a climate change thing. My pet scorpion has escaped. So if you find Roger, please, please return him.

Meanwhile, in education news, New York City has announced that students will no longer get snow days and will instead attend classes on Zoom. Yes, this is a thing. No snow days, only Zoom. Yeah. I mean, luckily, this isn't too big of a deal. I know it's sad.

But you realize, thanks to climate change, New York's getting snow for, what, two years max now? Yeah, by 2026, this is basically going to be. Florida with better bagels. That's all it's going to be. But I do feel bad for these kids, you know, missing out on such a big parts of childhood. I mean, like when I was growing up, there was nothing

I love more than waking up and checking the TV for school closings. And then, you know, and I'll be like, oh, and then I'd remember that I grew up in Africa, you idiots. Doesn't snow there. I think I'd give a shit about you losing snow days? A hell out of here, you dumb kids.

Explore more shows from the Daily Show podcast universe by searching The Daily Show, wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central, and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount Plus. This has been a Comedy Central podcast.