Jon Stewart goes on a brutal rant about Punch the monkey

The internet is backing Punch, the abandoned little monkey who found comfort in a stuffed toy – but Jon Stewart has other ideas.

“Listen to me: I understand, and it’s adorable, and he breaks my heart. But that being said… who are we to question the wisdom of the tribe? No! I’m just saying! They know him best. They’ve decided he’s problematic!” said Stewart in the Daily show clip above, before turning on his groaning audience.

“What the fuck? Oh, you know better? You know monkeys better than monkeys, right? All the little monkey experts decided, in the middle of a snowstorm, to come here tonight? Let me tell you something! No, fuck you all! Who are we to question their lived experience for our parasocial attachment?! I mean, look, they decided! The mom, the elders, the juniors… even that damn monkey stuffed animal looks like, ‘Hey, I don’t want to be here.'”

The good news? The Ichikawa City Zoo says Punch is doing well.