Jon Stewart, Bill O’Reilly to face off in live debate before 2012 elections

Jon Stewart and Bill O’Reilly have become fairly chummy over the past few years, appearing on each other’s basic cable commentary programs to plug their latest books (as O’Reilly has done on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart) or just to smack-talk each other about the credibility of cable news (as Stewart has done on FOX News’ The O’Reilly Factor).

And Stewart has mounted several attempts to temper the political insanity gripping Washington, D.C., during the past three-plus years.

Now comes another turn, as their friendly banter will extend to an online live-streaming debate, held in the nation’s capital, in between the first presidential and vice-presidential debates of the 2012 campaign.

“The Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Auditorium” will see Bill O’Reilly and Jon Stewart exchange their ideas and present their cases in a 90-minute debate moderated by E.D. Hill, starting at 8 p.m. Oct. 6, 2012, at George Washington University.

It’ll be streamed live via www.therumble2012.com.

You can watch it for $4.95 live or on demand afterward (half of the net profits, they say, will be donated to charities). If you’d like to be there and see it in person, tickets will go on sale today via www.lisner.org for $75-$100.00. GW students with valid ID can vie for a limited number of $25 tix. And if you pre-order the debate before Oct. 1, you can submit a written question to either Stewart or O’Reilly that “may be asked” that night. That’s a lot if ifs and maybes. Lot defined as two.

Quotes from the press release, release yourselves!

“I’m excited to debate Mr. O’Reilly,” said Stewart. “I believe this will be a very enjoyable night for fans of our programs, political junkies, partisans and people who just enjoy yelling.”

“I had no idea my agent signed me up for this,” O’Reilly said. “How can I get out of it?”

Behold, the official promotional videos for “The Rumble.” Roll ’em.

Jon Stewart’s promo:

Bill O’Reilly’s promo:

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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One thought on “Jon Stewart, Bill O’Reilly to face off in live debate before 2012 elections

  1. It’s going to be harder for Stewart to seem fair minded when he goes out of his way to support Democratic positions in debates. This is the kind of thing he would criticize on his own show if a news anchor did it.. then claimed to represent truth.

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