Jon Stewart chokes up in emotional 'Daily Show' segment about his dog's death

Jon Stewart closed the latest episode of "The Daily Show" on Monday with an emotional segment sharing his grief over the death of his dog.

The comedian, 61, began to choke up near the start of a tribute to his dog Dipper, who died on Sunday, and struggled to hold back tears throughout. "I thought I'd get further," Stewart said after becoming visibly emotional and pulling out a box of tissues.

Stewart said he adopted the brindle pit bull, who had lost his right leg after being hit by a car, more than a decade ago after he and his kids worked to raise money for a no-kill animal shelter in New York City.

"They put the dog in my lap, and we left that day feeling really good that we'd helped this great organization, and we also left with this 1-ish year old brindle pit bull," Stewart recalled. "We called him Dipper, and in a world of good boys, he was the best."

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Dipper was "part of the OG 'Daily Show' dog crew," Stewart said, noting that the pet used to come with him to the show every day and wait for him to be done with the taping. This meant Dipper would frequently meet guests, from actors to presidents. In fact, Stewart joked that Dipper "did what the Taliban could not do, which is put a scare into Malala Yousafzai," and he played a clip of Yousafzai stepping back after Dipper barked at her in the hallway.

Stewart said that his entire family was with Dipper when he died. "He was ready," the comedian said. "He was tired. But I wasn't."

He added that his wish for viewers is that "one day, you find that one dog that just is the best," and he closed the episode with a video of Dipper playing in the snow.

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Stewart returned to "The Daily Show" earlier this month after stepping down as host in 2015. He is now hosting on Mondays through the 2024 presidential election, while "Daily Show" correspondents take over for the remainder of the week following host Trevor Noah's exit in 2022.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jon Stewart dog's death prompts tearful tribute on 'The Daily Show'