Commotion: Jon Stewart's Comments on the Lab Leak Theory
The Claim
Jon Stewart supports the lab leak theory.
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Emerging story
Comedian and former host of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart recently appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where he described his thoughts on the idea that the coronavirus pandemic escaped from a lab instead of originating in nature.
The comedian introduced his opinions by claiming that science had eased the suffering of a pandemic, “which was more than likely caused by science.” Over the next five minutes of the show, he elaborated on why he believed that the coronavirus came from a lab. In particular, he cited that Wuhan, China, where the disease was first detected, is home to a lab that studies coronaviruses. He jokingly compared it to a hypothetical chocolate outbreak in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Stewart’s statements created significant reactions online, with some praising him and others condemning him for sharing misinformation. A YouTube upload of the discussion gained over 2.5 million views within 24 hours. A YouTube upload achieved 2.9 million views over a similar period of time. Additionally, a range of articles in leading publications has speculated upon Stewart’s statements, with some considering the idea that his comments were made in jest and others highlighting medical professionals who have condemned Stewart’s words.
Misbar’s Analysis
Jon Stewart’s statements were made in the context of entertainment. Stewart is a gifted and popular political commentator, but he is not a scientist. With decades of experience, Stewart is adept at explaining his point of view in an entertaining and convincing way. But just because his statements are compelling does not necessarily make them true. The evidence he presents is circumstantial: Leading virologists and infectious disease experts say that the lab leak theory is extremely unlikely, but not impossible.
In the segment, Colbert highlights that the Wuhan Institute of Virology (not “Wuhan Novel Respiratory Coronavirus Lab,” as Stewart refers to it) is located in Wuhan. It’s located there because there has already been a prevalence of coronaviruses due to Wuhan’s bat population. Stewart mocks this information, claiming that there are many bats elsewhere. However, this argument neglects to consider the fact that Wuhan is also home to animal markets that sell dozens of animal species that can infect humans. It also fails to consider other facts that may have led to the pandemic originating outside of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, such as the fact that China is home to the largest human population in the world and contains many different climates that bats are drawn to.
Additionally, it is worth noting that previous theories that speculate that specific diseases originated in a lab have since been discredited. For example, the origin of the 2002 SARS outbreak from China has been identified as being from a colony of horseshoe bats. Some believed that this outbreak was a bioweapon until the discovery of the bat colony disproved the theory.
As many have pointed out, the lab leak theory has neither been proven nor disproven. Stewart has been criticized in the past for oversimplifying complex issues. It appears as if he is using comedy to apply Occam’s Razor to the lab leak theory. Occam’s Razor means that the simplest theory should be accepted as the most likely theory. However, as the SARS outbreak has been proven to come from nature, and as it is also just as possible that coronavirus started in an animal market, Occam’s Razor may not necessarily support the lab leak theory.
