Tag Archives: Al Sharpton

First class

You can’t put a price on friendship.

But let’s face it — a friend whose brother is a writer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is inherently worth more.

I was in the audience for yesterday’s taping of the The Daily Show.  It’s not the first time I’ve been at the show; that’s one of the perks of living in New York City.

It was the first time I was considered a VIP guest and entered through the appropriately-named VIP entrance.  The first time I got to hang out in the staff lounge before the show instead of outside in the rain with the ‘regular audience.’

The first time I sat in the front row in the seats closest to Jon Stewart and guest Al Sharpton.  The first time I got to take a tour of backstage and the The Daily Show offices.

Yeah, it was the first time I was in the same room with the head writer and Samantha Bee and John Oliver.  And the second time I met staff writer Kevin Bleyer, who I sat next to on a very delayed flight from North Carolina many years ago.  

(I remembered way more about our meeting than he did — imagine.)

And I imagine I will remember yesterday in vivid detail for years to come.