Jon Stewart Called 'Coward,' Under Threat of Boycott for 'Vagina Manger' (Video)

Some conservatives are crying hypocrisy (again), this time over a segment on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart where the host flashed a picture of a naked woman with a tiny Christmas Nativity scene covering her genitals. The episode has prompted at least one group to call for a boycott of advertisers if Jon Stewart doesn’t apologize.

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Stewart’s intent during the segment in question was to ridicule Fox News Channel for not covering the GOP’s alleged “war on women” with the sort of zeal that it annually covers the “war on Christmas.”

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“What can women do to generate the same sense of outrage from Fox as the removal of decorative, slightly poisonous holiday plants?” Stewart asked on his Monday night show as he sat beside a picture of poinsettias. “Perhaps they could play into the theme. Maybe women could protect their reproductive organs from unwanted medical intrusions with vagina mangers.”

That’s when the screen photo switched to a nude woman, legs spread and her genitalia blocked by a small Christmas ornament that featured an image of the baby Jesus in a cradle. Video is below.

Even Stewart was slightly taken aback at the photo, laughing out loud and declaring: “I had not seen that picture. That really could be anything. It almost looks like the crown in those Imperial Margarine commercials.”

Stewart also suggested an Advent calendar but with birth-control pills instead of chocolate. It was the vagina manger, though, that sparked outrage in some constituencies, as well as howls of hypocrisy and even cowardice on the part of Stewart and Comedy Central.

On Wednesday, Brent Bozell, founder of the conservative Media Research Center, tweeted, “We dare Jon Stewart to be equally disgusting & desecrate the Koran & Torah to prove they are equal opportunity bigots.”

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Bozell then shot out a press release to journalists nationwide chastising Stewart as an “outright coward” for constantly teasing Christians while certain other religions seem to be off limits for ridicule on his show.

“Since you’re so brave to offend Christians, are you equally brave to offend Muslims and Jews?” Bozell asks. “Stewart thought he was being cute when he displayed a manger scene in front of a woman’s genitals to mock those allegedly ignoring the ‘war on women.’ If he’s such a daring political comedian, he should demonstrate his boldness by performing the same routine, but this time with a Koran and the Torah. Otherwise he is not only a bigot but also an outright coward.”

Also on Wednesday, Catholic League president Bill Donohue encouraged followers to send e-mail protests to Comedy Central spokesman Steve Albani.

Donohue claimed that several outlets including MSNBC, Yahoo, Gawker, the Los Angeles Times, The Huffington Post and others ran a Reuters story about Stewart’s criticism of Fox News and its lack of interest in an alleged “war on women,” though the story never mentioned “the offensive part.”

“The cover-up is revealing,” Donohue said.

“We are asking Stewart to apologize. If he does not, we will mobilize Protestants, Jews, Mormons and Muslims to join us in a boycott of his sponsors,” Donohue said in his e-mail to supporters. “Moreover, we will not stop with a boycott; there are other things that can be done to register our outrage. We are prepared to spend the money it takes to make this a nationwide issue.” 

A representative from Comedy Central did not immediately return THR's request for comment.

Email: paul.bond@thr.com