Jon Stewart Makes Rick Santorum One of Google’s Most-Searched Terms

Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum was one of Google’s most-searched terms Tuesday morning thanks to Jon Stewart.

But the former senator from Pennsylvania might actually not be grateful about it.

On Monday night’s Daily Show, Stewart ran down the list of lesser-known presidential and encouraged viewers to Google them. (Watch the video below.)

“I guess the last guy would prefer you wouldn’t do that,” Stewart said about Santorum. “By the way, if you didn’t get that joke, go Google ‘Santorum’ right now.”

The first search result gives a definition of, well, something pretty risque that THR will refrain from posting here. But curious readers can check it out for themselves here.

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According to the Washington Post, “Santorum” came to hold this definition thanks to sex columnist Dan Savage.

In 2003, the politician gave an interview to the Associated Press that included several controversial statements about homosexuality.

“In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality,” he said. “That’s not to pick on homosexuality. It’s not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be. It is one thing.”

He added that “I have no problem with homosexuality. I have a problem with homosexual acts.”

After the interview, Savage, who is gay, launched a contest to help “memorialize” Santorum’s statements. Readers were invited to submit new definitions for the term “Santorum.”

Savage posted the winning definition on a website he created, SpreadingSantorum.com, thereby giving the politician’s last name a new meaning that apparently stuck, thanks in part to Google, where it holds prime position on the search engine. The term also has its own Wikipedia page.