I've said yes to everything that Jon Stewart has asked me to do. That's been a pretty good career decision, I think.
The moment I accept that there's an artistic, redeeming quality in puns, I have a horrible feeling I'll get hooked.
There's never any time I think I'm a real journalist, because I don't have any of the qualifications or the intentions for that.
You have to do stand-up quite a long time before you learn how to do it well. It was probably years before I was confident enough in stand-up that I was able to talk about the things I wanted to talk about, the way I wanted to talk about them.
I'm not really much of an actor, so when I started on 'The Daily Show,' I was just trying to adopt the faux authority of a newsperson. Having a British accent definitely gave me a sonic leg up on that because there is a faux authority to the British accent in and of itself.
It's pretty physically unsettling, living life on a visa.
I've always been interested in socially political, or overtly political, comedy.
I wanted to be a soccer player. I knew that couldn't happen.
I did sketch comedy, but I never did improv. So I've just tried to learn as I go.
I know I'd be an absolutely horrendous politician.
Armando Iannucci is one of my heroes. As I was growing up, he was probably the most influential comic voice that I had.
It was probably years before I was confident enough in stand-up that I was able to talk about the things I wanted to talk about, the way I wanted to talk about them.
The only thing I'm nervous about is talking to guests like human beings, because all of my interviews so far have been attacking people. I have a genuine concern about sitting across from an actor whose movies I obviously haven't seen.
Here in America, people come out to see what they've known you to do. In England, it's like everyone comes out to tell you exactly how well they think you're doing.
I knew I was going to go into the field and make fun of people to their faces. I knew what I was getting into.
People are friendlier in New York than London.
You just try to be true to your idea of what is funny and what is also interesting.
I think Americans still can't help but respond to the natural authority of this voice. Deep down they long to be told what to do by a British accent. That's why so many infomercials have British people.
It's a great time to be doing political satire when the world is on a knife edge.
I feel more at home knowing I'm not really at home. It takes all the pressure off you trying to fit in!
