Epstein-Trump Saga Gets 20K Pages Longer & Megyn Kelly Splits Hairs on Pedophilia | Miguel

Summary

The Daily Show: Ears Edition

Episode: Epstein-Trump Saga Gets 20K Pages Longer & Megyn Kelly Splits Hairs on Pedophilia | Miguel
Date: November 14, 2025
Host: Josh Johnson
Guest: Miguel (musician)
Theme: Dissecting the latest revelations and political fallout from the Epstein-Trump email dump, wild cable news reactions (especially from Megyn Kelly), a comic exploration of AI’s impact on student brains, and an in-depth artist interview with Miguel.

---

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of The Daily Show dives into two hot-button issues:

1. The release of 20,000 pages of documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump, and the absurd attempts by GOP operatives and media personalities (notably Megyn Kelly) to contain the story.
2. The cultural and cognitive impacts of artificial intelligence on young people. The show is capped by a thoughtful—and playful—interview with Grammy-winning musician Miguel about art, cultural identity, and the music business.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Epstein-Trump Files: Escalation and Ridicule

Timeline: [01:31] – [08:57]

• House Democrats released emails written by Epstein about Donald Trump, reigniting the scandal.
• GOP Response: Republicans, in a PR over-correction, dump 20,000 pages of Epstein-related documents.
  • Josh Johnson: “This is like trying to hide pissing yourself by shitting yourself.” (02:30)
  • The volume of material adds to confusion and suspicion, rather than resolving it.
• Content of Emails: Much is “weird bro shit about women” rather than direct crimes, including Epstein’s claim he "gave" his 20-year-old girlfriend to Trump in the ‘90s.
  • Josh: “I can’t imagine a worse way to break up with someone than setting them up with Donald Trump.” (03:54)
  • The woman in question, “Selena Middelfart,” has denied involvement, with Josh riffing on her name in a playful mock-spy scenario.
• After the Bromance: Emails after Epstein and Trump’s friendship soured are petty and disparaging; Epstein rants about Trump’s behavior and sanity.
  • Quote: “He Trump is borderline insane. He says Donald Trump is effing crazy… Rummler says Trump is so gross. And Epstein responds: ‘Worse in real life and up close.’” (05:49)
  • Josh quips: “A pedophile called you all that? That’s wild. It would be like if the devil came out and said, 'Y'all diddy gross.'” (06:08)
• Media Downplays: GOP media operatives then try to say the Epstein story is “ridiculous” or “played out,” to which Josh responds with mock disbelief.
  • “Shit’s bad when the sensationalist media is like, 'You guys don't want to hear about the international island sex scandal? Let's talk about budgetary cuts.'” (08:34)

2. Megyn Kelly’s “Splitting Hairs on Pedophilia”

Timeline: [08:57] – [09:14]

• Kelly attempts to distinguish Epstein’s crimes as targeting “very young teens, not 8 year olds,” which the Daily Show lampoons as grotesque hair-splitting.
  • Josh: “Your Honor, my client only engaged in diet pedophilia.”
  • “Everyone knows there’s a Big difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old. But everyone also knows there is never a good reason to be talking about that.” (09:14)
  • Immediate cut to live correspondent for further mockery.

3. Comic Dissection of the Epstein Emails (Grammar Edition)

Timeline: [09:53] – [12:31]

• Troy Awada reports from “outside the Capitol,” expressing horror not just at sex crimes, but at Epstein’s bizarre grammar and punctuation in the emails.
  • Quote: “Recall, I’ve told you then…” (Troy describes misplaced quotation marks and erratic punctuation—10:06–10:42)
  • Josh tries to keep focus: "I agree that's weird, but I don't think that's the takeaway here."
• Surreal punchlines about Epstein’s illiteracy and its (tongue-in-cheek) importance:
  • “It's about paying our teachers what they are worth. So that when these children grow up and commit crimes...they will at least be able to spell.” (12:31)
• Comic moment: “Jeffrey, kill yourself.” “He already did.” “Oh, good.” (11:11–11:20)

4. AI, Students, and the “Brain Rot” Debate

Timeline: [13:59] – [18:39]

• Satirical investigation into the impact of AI (e.g., ChatGPT) on college students' ability to learn and think.
  • Findings: Students admit it makes them “dumber,” but almost none plan to stop using it. Riff on using AI for “philosophy” questions or even for dating app flirtation.
  • Josh: “Between ChatGPT doing your homework and your mom doing your laundry, this gives you 24 hours a day to just jerk off.” (16:22)
  • Correspondent, on AI: “You use ChatGPT to dumb down what you’re writing?” / “Good news is if you use it enough, you won’t need to use it anymore.” (18:22–18:25)
• Jokes about using AI as a “best friend,” the absurdity of relying on it for basic life skills, and the hazards of AI replacing even our social and romantic communications.
  • “There you have it. AI might be making us dumber, but we’ll be too busy having meaningless sex with each other to care.” (18:31)

---

5. Extended Interview: Miguel

Timeline: [18:58] – [37:15]

Miguel’s Creative Journey and Cultural Identity

• Return After 8 Years: Miguel describes the intention behind his hiatus and how major world changes (pandemic, personal growth) shaped his new album, Kaus.
  • Quote: “It was with a lot of intention. So a lot has changed… it was the right amount of time to go away and figure myself out.” (19:55)
• Deeper Into Heritage: Reflects on digging into his Mexican and Afro-Mexican heritage, inspired by the Danza de los Diablos and the importance of cultural pride in a time of rising authoritarianism.
  • “I was able to kind of infuse this pride in my heritage and cultural identity, to kind of take a stand for what matters. I think it’s important to celebrate those things now.” (20:33)
• Maturity as an Artist: Early career focused on “getting the bag” and hits, now sees the deeper purpose of art: emotional resonance and creating community.
  • “It's taken a back seat to how important it is for art to continue to bring people together.” (22:16)
  • “The best art is the feeling you feel seeing yourself in other artists’ details. Put as many of your own details in your work and it will emerge on its own.” (25:23)
• Advice for Young Creators: Don’t chase industry accolades; instead, double-down on unique personal details and find your audience organically.

Changing Music Industry & Business Survival

• Miguel and Josh discuss the evolution from album sales, through piracy, to streaming and music's increasing commoditization.
  • Miguel laments the business always exploiting artists, but is hopeful: “Being able to kind of build this discourse and this conversation around taking ownership of the audience…leverage their audience in a way that empowers them, obviously financially, but creatively in parallel.” (27:32)
• Hope For a Better System: Advocates for artists building new, more equitable platforms and structures independently, rather than relying solely on corporations.

Art as Community and Resistance

• NYU Scholar-in-Residence: Miguel discusses his course, “Speaking Chaos to Power,” focused on using art for organizing, community-building, and catalyzing social change.
  • “The course is really about speaking chaos to power through art and figuring out what unique thing we can say about what we're seeing in the world in our art, in a way that at least brings people to the table to…mobilize.” (29:29)
  • Josh notes: “Coming together is free…for now.” (31:42)
• Loss of Connection: Miguel expresses that, in a world “technologically connected, but yet lacking connection,” art is the vital space for real human connection.

Playful, Memorable Moments

• Josh to Miguel: “Are you aware of how many babies have probably been made to your music? …I’m not paying any child support on those babies. That is your job, man.” (35:17)
• Voicemail Bit:
  • Josh cajoles Miguel into improvising a sexy voicemail greeting on air, which Miguel obliges in a soulful tone. (36:29–37:02)
    • “Hello? You’ve reached Josh’s phone. Leave a message and he’ll get right back to you…He’ll be right back as soon as he can.”
  • Both laugh; Josh: “So many people are gonna call me now.” (37:12)

---

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On the email dump:
  • “This is like trying to hide pissing yourself by shitting yourself.” — Josh Johnson [02:30]
• On GOP backfiring:
  • “The GOP didn’t do Trump any favors by releasing these emails. They basically saw his grease fire and said, let us add some water.” — Josh Johnson [07:01]
• On Kelly’s defense:
  • “‘Your Honor, my client only engaged in diet pedophilia.’ Ma’am, everyone knows there’s a big difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old. But everyone also knows there is never a good reason to be talking about that.” — Josh Johnson [09:14]
• On AI:
  • “Between ChatGPT doing your homework and your mom doing your laundry, this gives you 24 hours a day to just jerk off.” — Josh Johnson [16:22]
• Miguel on personal growth:
  • “[Taking time off]…was with a lot of intention. So a lot has changed… it was the right amount of time to go away and figure myself out.” — Miguel [19:55]
  • “I think my favorite art and I think the best art is the feeling you feel seeing yourself in other artists' details.” — Miguel [25:23]
• Playful closing:
  • “I’m not paying any child support on those babies. That is your job, man.” — Miguel [35:17]
  • “Hello? You’ve reached Josh’s phone. Leave a message and he’ll get right back to you…” — Miguel (as voicemail) [36:42]

---

Summary: The Daily Show at Its Best

This episode combined searing satire, cultural commentary, and uplifting artistry:

• Skewering the political farce of the Epstein-Trump file dump and the media’s embarrassing response.
• Ridiculing attempts to split hairs on heinous crimes (notably by Megyn Kelly).
• Lampooning the gen-Z reliance on AI for basic thought—"AI might be making us dumber, but we'll be too busy having meaningless sex with each other to care."
• Imbuing hope and depth through Miguel’s reflections on the power of art and the importance of community, culture, and personal authenticity in a commodified world.

The mix of punchy commentary, surreal riffs, and a generous helping of heart from Miguel made for an episode that is both hilarious and genuinely thought-provoking.

---

For Further Listening:

• Miguel’s new album Kaus is out now; tickets for his global tour are available.
• For more, watch The Daily Show on Comedy Central or stream episodes on Paramount+.

Transcript

[Narrator/Advertiser]

This episode is brought to you by Netflix from the creator of Homeland. Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys star in the new Netflix series the Beast in Me as ruthless rivals whose shared darkness will set them on a collision course with fatal consequences. The Beast in Me is a riveting psychological cat and mouse story about guilt, justice, and doubt. You will not want to miss this. The Beast in Me is now playing only on Netflix. A message from McAfee wondering why the post office is texting you or why you owe thousands of dollars in toll fees because someone's trying to scam you. The good news? McAfee can help with McAfee's award winning scam detection. It's easy to tell what's real and what's fake over text in your inbox and online. If they're fa, you want a free gift. Seriously, if they're faking it, they're. They're not making it past us. Get award winning scam detection today. McAfee.com Keep it real.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

You're listening to Comedy Central. From the most trusted journalists at Comedy Central.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

It's America's only source for news.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

This is the Daily show with your host, Josh Johnson.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Welcome to the Daily Show. I'm Josh Johnson. We've got so much to talk about. Tonight we find out how people are using ChatGPT without asking ChatGPT. Trump can't unsubscribe from his old friends emails and Epstein wasn't just a sex criminal, he was a catty bitch. So let's get right into it with another installment of the very normal and not shady handling of the Epstein files.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

It's pretty boring stuff.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Yesterday, the Epstein story exploded back into the national conversation when House Democrats released three emails that Jeffrey Epstein wrote about his BFF Donald Trump. But Donald Trump has the entirety of the GOP behind him. And you know, these world class strategists have a plan for getting this story off the front page.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

As part of the Republican response to the selective and limited release of emails by the Democrats, Republicans stepped up and put out 20,000 pages of Jeffrey Epstein related documents.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Oh, no. This is the downside of your people really having your back. Because. Because they were basically like, he got nothing to hide. Here's 20,000 more email anything about a cover up. This is like trying to hide pissing yourself by shitting yourself. Oh, Trump's people spent a year saying there are no Epstein files. Now there's 20,000 pages and those still aren't the files. What happened? There's now more pages of Trump Epstein lore than Batman and Superman crossover. And look, these 20,000 pages weren't all about crimes. A lot of it was just weird bro shit about women that they dated.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Epstein says in these emails that he could produce photos of Donald and girls in bikinis in my kitchen. Epstein claims that he and Trump had dated the same woman back in the 1990s, saying, My 20 year old girlfriend in 1993 that after two years I gave to Donald.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Man, I'm glad Hillary killed that guy, because I can't imagine a worse way to break up with someone than setting them up with Donald Trump. If someone broke up with me and, and they were like, I don't deserve you, but you know who does? And then Donald Trump walked in, I'd be like, damn, I didn't know you hated me. And by the way, just as a side note, the woman people say Epstein might be referring to is a Norwegian cosmetics heiress whose name, and I am not making this up, is Selena Middelfart. And if you're watching this from Norway, like it's middle fart, that is basically what I just said. Now, she has denied that she ever dated either of them, which I get. But more importantly, how is Selena Middelfart a real name? It sounds like a bad spy name. Like if you broke, if you were a spy and you broke into a super secret security office, and right after you grab the disc or whatever, you turn the corner and then there's someone looking at you and they say, who are you? And you haven't thought that far, and you almost say Selena Gomez, but you know that's not gonna work. So you're like, selena, Selena. And you get nervous when you're, you know, trying to come up with a name that makes you fart in the middle of your sentence. So you're like, Selena Middelfart. And then that guy is just like, oh, okay, do you know where the bathroom is? But these emails don't just show their friendship, they show their frenemyship. And after their bromance ended, Epstein really showed that hell hath no fury like a pedophile scorned.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

He Trump is borderline insane. He says Donald Trump is effing crazy. Maybe Donald Trump has early dementia. Rummler says Trump is so gross. And Epstein responds worse in real life and up close.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Damn, a pedophile called you all that? That's wild. It would be like if the devil came out and said, y' all diddy gross. Okay, we were alone for five minutes. You know, he tried to kiss me, and when I pushed him away. He hit me with a water balloon.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Full of baby oil.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

I don't even know what that's for. This is one of the many reasons being friends with a pedophile is a lose lose situation. Because as a character witness, if they're like, this guy's disgusting and I'm a pedophile, that's bad. But on the flip side, if they're like, yeah, I know him, he's a pretty good hang, that's also horrible. It's why you should choose your friends wisely. Because remember, if you do something embarrassing in front of a friend, that's a memory. But if they turn on you, it becomes ammo. Epstein suggesting reporters ask my houseman about Donald almost walking through the door, leaving his nose print on the glass as young women were swimming in the pool. And he was so focused, he walked straight into the door. There's no way this dude is Looney Tunes level horny. Like, you know, there's normal level perv and then there's Kool Aid man level perv. Hey, doll, you wanna see some girls in the pool? Oh, yeah. And look, also, I'm not saying Trump has a micropenis, but it's weird. He got all horned up and his nose hit the glass first. So the GOP didn't do Trump any favors by releasing these emails. They basically saw his grease fire and said, let us add some water. And his supporters on TV aren't doing that much better. This is obviously an attempt to smear the President by cherry picking.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

This is just all for show, a distraction, just ridiculous.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

The carnival show, it's journalistically malpractice.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Why weren't they as concerned about Bill Clinton?

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

They love to create drama.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

This whole Epstein files thing, a little bit played out.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Played out. You know, shit's bad when the sensationalist media is like, you guys don't want to hear about the international island sex scandal? Let's talk about budgetary cuts. Let's get nasty. Come on, guys, that's not gonna work. If you want to downplay this story, you need a master. All right, Megyn Kelly, you're a master of spin. Show us what you got.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

As for Epstein, he wasn't into like 8 year olds, but he liked the very young teen types. There's a difference between a 15 year old and a 5 year old.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

You know, it's just.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Whatever. It's sick.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

How the hell was Megyn Kelly ever an attorney? Your Honor, my client only engaged in diet pedophilia. Ma', am, everyone knows there's a Big difference between a 15 year old and a 5 year old. But everyone also knows there is never good reason to be talking about that. Differ. For more on the new batch of Epstein emails, we go live outside the Capitol to Troy Awada. Troy, you've been going through all the emails. What have you learned?

[Troy Awada (Reporter/Contributor)]

I'll tell you what I've learned, Josh. I've learned Jeffrey Epstein is a sick, sick man. And he has some of the most disturbing grammar I've ever seen.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Grammar? I thought you'd be more upset about the sex crimes.

[Troy Awada (Reporter/Contributor)]

Yeah, of course. Of course we're all upset about the sex crimes, but the grammar, Josh. And the punctuation. Look at this email this adult man sent, okay? Recall, I've told you then what looks like quotation marks that are somehow at the bottom. And then hyphen, hyphen, I have met some very bad people. And then the bottom quotation marks again. Like, where is he getting this punctuation from? Do pedophiles have a special keyboard? Or, like, is he putting his keyboard in a bag and just shaking it around? I don't.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

I agree that's weird, but I don't think that's the takeaway here.

[Troy Awada (Reporter/Contributor)]

Yeah, of course not. Of course not. No, sex crimes are bad. Everyone knows that. But, like, they're not the only crimes being committed here. Like, listen to this. Listen to this. This is him complaining about a Buzzfeed article, okay? Read the Uzzfeed. Read my airplane logs and Hawain Tropic contest. Period slash. Like, he doesn't know how to spell Hawaii. Just, Jeffrey, kill yourself.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

He already did.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Oh, good.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Okay, Troy, so yes, the period slash is weird, but the punctuation is not as important as Jeffrey Epstein trafficking people.

[Troy Awada (Reporter/Contributor)]

Okay, well, clearly he never trafficked Strunk and White, if you know what I mean.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

No, I don't know what that means.

[Troy Awada (Reporter/Contributor)]

You don't know Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. And E.B.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

White.

[Troy Awada (Reporter/Contributor)]

Okay, all right. Tell me you're a pedophile without telling.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Me you're a pedophile.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Dude. Sorry.

[Troy Awada (Reporter/Contributor)]

I'm sorry.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Sorry.

[Troy Awada (Reporter/Contributor)]

I'm just. It's just upsetting, okay? I mean, look at this. Invitation to the Epstein island he sent Deck. Space. Space. Visit me Caribbean. Like, what happened to the language of hospitality? Like, what? Why isn't it. Would you care to meet me in the Caribbean for sex crimes this December, good sir? You know, not visit me Caribbean. Like, who wrote this? Cookie Monster?

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Fine. You're right, it's a problem. It is.

[Troy Awada (Reporter/Contributor)]

And you know, it's part of a much bigger problem. Illiteracy is at an all time high in America and this is about more than just or sex crimes.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

You know this is only about sex crimes.

[Troy Awada (Reporter/Contributor)]

No, it's about paying our teachers what they are worth. It is about fostering a love of learning in our children so that when these children grow up and commit crimes, whatever crimes they choose to commit, they will at least be able to spell.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Wow, that's so inspiring. You're right, Troy. We need to focus our time and resources on those matter most.

[Troy Awada (Reporter/Contributor)]

On those whom matter.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Josh. That's definitely incorrect. Troy Awada, everyone. When we come back, we find out how to study without AI. Don't go away. Hello, friends.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Guess who? That's right. It is I, the replacer. Once again, I've been called on so you can play the new Call of Duty Black Ops 7. With three expansive modes, 18 multiplayer maps, and the tastiest zombie gameplay you've ever freaking seen.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Call of Duty Black Ops 7 available now. Rated M for mature.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Welcome back to the Daily Show. People say AI is gonna take young people's jobs, but what if it's already taken their brains? Ryan Chang hit the streets to find out.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Artificial intelligence. We were told it was gonna turn every big dumb idiot into someone who could solve one of these. I think AI will make everyone smarter and more effective. New book, Brave New Words.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

How AI will Revolutionize education and why.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

That'S a good thing. But outsourcing all the work our brains normally do might be humanity's last shitty idea.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

A new MIT study revealing that using AI can impact a person's ability to learn, think, and remember.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

It could actually be impacting your brain and dumbing you down.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Students who wrote essays with the help of things like ChatGPT had reduced brain activity.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

So I'm on campus to find out how aware students are of their own AI Brain rot.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

I think it's genuinely making everyone so dumb.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Do you feel the cognitive decline?

[Troy Awada (Reporter/Contributor)]

I do, yeah. It does make you feel dumber.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Does this maybe make you want to stop using it?

[Troy Awada (Reporter/Contributor)]

Yeah, it does.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

But will you stop using it?

[Troy Awada (Reporter/Contributor)]

Hopefully, over time.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

So, no.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

So no.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

So you. I know you're just like a young kid, but in your ignorant perspective, can you feel that AI is affecting you learning the fundamentals?

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

I feel like, not me personally, everyone else is stupid. Yes, definitely.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Yeah.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Yeah. You're the only one using heroin correctly.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Yes.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

So which AI do you use? Well, I use Grok most oftenly. What do you like about Grok, other than the Nazi shit? Well, it can articulate in, like, English really well, you know, just answering some of my questions that randomly appears, like, why are white people better? Definitely not those, but, like, just some philosophic question I think about sometimes. Like, what is the final solution? What do you use AI for?

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

I ask it, like, what is this.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Philosopher'S position on this thing? Yeah, you don't learn that in school. That's what school is for.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Well, I learn it and then if.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

I forget it, then I get a refresher, but.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

So why don't you just listen in class?

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Right?

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

That's a good question. I don't know. I don't know.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

What was the last thing you asked ChatGPT, and why was it, will you be my girlfriend?

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

I didn't ask will you be my girlfriend? But I did ask CHAT GPT last night. How does this case work? And what is the right answer?

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Sure, between Chat GBT doing your homework and your mom doing your laundry, this gives you 24 hours a day to just jerk off.

[Troy Awada (Reporter/Contributor)]

You mainly use it for, like, sentence structures because you know when, like, you're writing.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Yeah, because sentence structure is so difficult. It's so difficult. Write like, goddamn sentence.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

But realistically, I have to write all.

[Troy Awada (Reporter/Contributor)]

These papers, and sometimes, like, this word salad comes out on the paper.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

And so I'll just be like, hey.

[Troy Awada (Reporter/Contributor)]

Can you say this a little better for me?

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Spit it into chatgpt.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Sometimes you just don't have the time to be coherent. Do you want me to help with your homework now so they can seamlessly transition into taking a job?

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

That's a good question.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Thankfully, I found one person who truly understood the perils of this technology.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

I think it's dangerous. You have to be careful because it's such a slippery slope. I know that people are now using it to cheat. That's really bad. I can't imagine if I used it to get my degree. That couldn't. That wouldn't.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Sure, that would be bad. What do you use AI for?

[Narrator/Advertiser]

ChatGPT is like a best friend. We talk all the time about everything.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Oh, my God.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

What happened to just having a friend?

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Sometimes your friends will have biased opinions.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Sometimes friends are biased. But AI is famously unbiased.

[Troy Awada (Reporter/Contributor)]

And that's why I dropped them into a Mecca table.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Clearly their brains were already slowing down like shitty WI fi. It was time to unlock, unplug, and reboot the system. I just need to unhook your brain from AI. So whatever you're gonna ask ChatGPT, just ask me instead.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

All right.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

I was working on, you know, Getting a calorie deficit math laid out. What kind of diet should I be on and how. How often should I be working?

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Stop eating.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Of course.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Of course.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Just stop eating. So let me unhook your brain from AI for a bit. And instead of asking AI to ask.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Me that, where should I go get coffee? Just look around. It's New York City.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

You don't need to ask AI where coffee is. There's one right behind us. See, AI is even taking the jobs normally done by our eyes. And one person thinks it can even open up our hearts.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

I used it on Hinge.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

I gotta be more flirty, be more hookup.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Culture NYC vibe, ChatGPT, rizzed up this guy.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

I write full sentences. I don't got that Gen Z lingo.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

In me, so I need to dumb.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

It down a little.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

You use chatgpt to dumb down what you're writing?

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Good news is if you use it enough, you won't need to use it anymore. I know. Yeah. Yeah.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

I think it's slowly burning me out.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

There you have it. AI might be making us dumber, but we'll be too busy having meaningless sex with each other to care.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Thank you, Ronnie. When we come back, Miguel will join me on the show.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

So don't go away.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Welcome back to the Daily Show. My guest tonight is a Grammy award winning artist whose new album. Album is called Kaus. Please welcome Miguel. Thank you so much for coming, man. What?

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

I am so excited to be here and talk. Congratulations.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Oh, thank you. Congratulations to you.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Thanks so much, man.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

The album is phenomenal.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Thank you very much, man. And it took a lot of love and time. Yeah.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Yeah. It's been eight years since your last studio album, so you're like the Daniel Day Lewis of sexy music. Like, you've been gone for a while and now it's like you never left. This is wild.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Listen. That's the hope and prayer every time you kind of go away for a second. And it was with a lot of intention. So a lot has changed. You know, we've been through an entire global catastrophe of trying to figure out what we're going to do when, you know, everyone's lives are at stake, you know, and I think that alone would be enough. But, you know, just growth, man, and, you know, just seeing the world go through a lot of changes. I think it was the right amount of time to go away and figure myself out.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Yeah. Cause you went through your own, like, personal changes. How did you put that into the music?

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

That was a lot of reflection, you know, being Away kind of gives you time to kind of reprioritize in a way that I needed in a big way. And I think what that did was it naturally lent to digging into my heritage and finding a deeper sense of pride of where I come from. Which is probably why the album is titled Caos and not Chaos as the title would suggest. It's all about, you know, what's happening and as within. So without kind of approach to the conversation, but exploring my Mexican heritage, which is evident in a lot of the visuals, which is homage to Danza de los Diablos, which is a celebration, an Afro Mexican celebration in Mexico that commemorates African slaves freeing themselves. Is this kind of, like, cultural significance that made a big impact on this album? So, you know, when you look at the way that fascism, the way that authoritarianism has really been playing out in front of us and we're seeing hints of it, you know, I'm really proud that I was able to kind of infuse this pride in my heritage and cultural identity, to kind of take a stand for what matters. I think it's important to celebrate those things now.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Yeah. So your first studio album was 15 years ago. How do you, like. No, no, Like, I just mean you've been doing something so well for so long. Like, how has that changed for you now from the first album to now? Like, whether the process has changed or whether your approach to music has changed?

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, you certainly come out like, I gotta get the bag. I need the culture, I need the hits, I need the big song, I need the big everything. It's absolutely been something that at that time felt so important that now is kind of such a in the back of kind of. It's taken a back seat to how important it is for art to continue to bring people together. And I think emotional resonance has everything to do with that. I think that's why we listen to music in other languages, why we can gather around fine art and not understand where the artist is coming from, but completely lock in on a detail that we find ourself in. So I think that's been the big difference. It's been the big difference, really locking in on the emotional nature and the importance of emotionality in the work.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Yeah. Because you. I'm not even necessarily pulling this away from what you just said, but this is what you made me think of. It seems like when you are a new artist and you're starting out, that so much of your intention and so many of your goals seem not even in a bad way, but just in an honest way, like, ego driven of, like, you want to, like, you say, get the bag, or you want to have a hit, or you just want to show how great you are and everything. And then I think there's just, like, this way that music evolves over a long career where then, even though the beginning seems to be a bit of ego, the next part of it is self. But it's like, self in a way of discovery. And I think that's what I'm hearing when I listen to this.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Thank you for saying so. Yeah, I mean, we all want to get to the bag, you know, we want to make sure we get to the money. We live in a very. It's a capitalist paradigm, you know, so it's. It's always gonna be in the back of the mind, I think, really listening to all of my favorites. You know, you go back to Marvin Gaye, and you go back to David Bowie, and you go back to Queen, and you go back to, you know, the Rolling Stones, or you go back to, you know, one of. One of my favorites, the Minutemen from San Pedro, which is where I'm from, punk band. You know, it's like, you listen to the expression, and it's so pure, and there's. There's integrity in the music that you can feel, and that's absolutely been the driving force coming back.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

So, yeah. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Cause when it comes to how, like, how artists evolve, like, I'm. Everyone, I think, wants to, like, you say, get the bag, but they also want to be around to make more stuff for a very long time. And you have to be making changes to make that happen. And so I wonder if you have any advice for, like, a younger artist who is working on things. But there's only so much room at, like, the Grammys. There's only so much room to win a Grammy. There's always. So if these are sort of your goals, they're so much harder to achieve. But I think so much of art is about, like, what you put out there, not necessarily what comes back. And so do you have any advice for, like, a young person who's like, maybe I'll never get the Grammy, or maybe I'll never get the back, but, like, what their music means to people.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Well, we have to remember that all of these accolades and whatnot are a function of a market system, right? Which, if you work backwards, you're gonna think about how valuable or how valid or viable the product is in order to go to market, to make the money. So the Real key is how do you make the money? You have to find the audience for the product. And if you work backwards from there, my advice would be find your audience. And how do you do that? I think it's about locking into the details about your life and your point of view that are so uniquely yours and doubling down on that so hard and consistently that you separate yourself from the madness that we are constantly being sold at every point in our lives. So yeah, just digging in on our details. You know, I think my favorite art and I think the best art is the feeling you feel seeing yourself in other artists details. And I think that's the best advice I could give is put as many of your own details in your work and it will emerge on its own.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

So in general, do you, do you have any feelings about the direction of music, of how music's going? We've seen the shifts like already in our own lifetime. We've seen what it means for an album to sell. Like you used to just buy the album physical copy, you own it as well. And then it became this whole piracy scandal where piracy seemed like the way for a little while because people didn't have enough money.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Yes, I miss it. I really. Bring it back. Let's go. Yeah, that's what it is.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Bring it back now.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

But now through that we got to this place of streaming and now streaming is all the way down to the song. So now people are trying to be as marketable as possible in five seconds rather than making an album that somebody would want most of. You know? Yeah. What do you think and how do you feel about the future of music right now?

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

I think the music business has always taken advantage of the art. Are the artists rather. Right from its inception, music has exploited or the music business has exploited the artists of the creators. So it's not that we're seeing anything new now per se, it's just a different version. It's an optimized. It's a upgrade to the general function of the music business. I think the most important thing now that we're seeing happen is we're seeing artists strike out on their own and come up with new solutions. And I think being at being able to kind of build this discourse and this conversation around taking ownership of the audience, whoever they are, for each individual artist, whatever their application, whatever their principal focus is, I think that's why it's so important that artists really take take the time to identify their audience and really lock in with them and leverage their audience in a way that empowers Them, obviously, financially, but creatively in parallel. That way, we don't have to go to the larger corporations that exist. And instead, I think what it'll do is it'll push artists to kind of find new solutions, build them for themselves, offer them to other artists. That way, we build a more equitable system by which we can kind of share our art in a, you know, in a capitalist society.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Hope that makes sense. No, it makes sense.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

No, it makes perfect sense. You are currently this artist in residence at nyu. You're the scholar in residence. And can you tell me about the program? Yeah.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Tremendous honor. Tremendous honor. Yeah.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Can you tell me more about it?

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

So the course that we've designed is titled Speaking Chaos to Power. I can't tell you how tremendously honored I am to kind of be welcomed as a scholar in residence at nyu, one of the most prestigious fiduciaries. But I wanted to figure out how we could empower the artists, the students, in a way that the courses that they're taking now don't. And I think the biggest takeaway from the curriculum is that in every moment of uncertainty in our human history, inflection points have presented themselves in the chaos. And we can draw a parallel, whether it's in the 50s and 60s here in the United States with the civil rights movement, across time, it took people not just being on the front lines, but, more importantly, organizing in the back rooms, coming together, having conversation, talking about what's wrong, what's not working, and figuring out what they would like to happen and how it should look and the point in the distance that they want to arrive. And so the course is really about speaking chaos to power through art and figuring out what unique thing we can say about what we're seeing in the world in our art, in a way that at least brings people to the table to have those conversations organized and mobilized. I think there's nothing more important than that today, not just for art, but across the board, you know, whether it's. We want to draw some social change, we want to see some political change. That's why I love seeing what happened here in New York. Shout out to maramondame. You know what I'm saying? We love that. We love that.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Yeah.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Cause it seems like so much of why you do what you do, so much of what you're creating, and your approach to fixing things feels like community. It feels like that is the sort of, like, antidote to this general capitalist chaos is that if you all come together, because coming together is free, you.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Know, that's right for now.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Yeah. Yeah. Right, right.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

All of us are like, ooh. It's not even.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

I didn't even. Yeah. I feel. Wow. That scared everybody. That's.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Oh, man.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Yeah. I just. When I listen to your music and when I talk to you, it seems like you are someone who is so. Who is.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Say something good. Yeah, yeah.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

It just feels like you are so passionate about bringing life forward and bringing people forward and taking us to a better place and everything. And, you know, I'm very grateful for the work that you do, and I think that your intentions with what you make. It's like. It's so easy sometimes whenever you listen to an album, to take away only what you take away from it. Kind of like those, like, bangers that you hear or like the Billboard. You're like. Cause you will pull something away from music that is, like, so personal. And even if it has, like, some universal message to it, like, you might talk to the artist, and the artist would be like, oh, the song is about heroin.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Right.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

You know what I mean? You're like, oh, I love to dance to this one. You know what I mean? But I play it for my kids. Yeah. And I think that. But I think that your real talent is that whenever I listen to your music and then I actually listen to you talk about your music without being able to pinpoint it from the time that I heard it. I still hear what you're talking about when I'm thinking about what I felt when I first listened to it, you know, which is, like, such a special thing. I think that that's really. Because you can have so much intention with what you're trying to say. But I think that on top of the sort of loss of community, there's a loss of communication. And I think that what you're doing at NYU and what you're doing in your music is, like, helping to bridge some of that, you know? Do you feel that when you. When you talk to people about it, or do you feel that when people talk to you about the project?

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Man. I mean, I feel it the most when it's a. Thank you very much for saying so. I. You know, I. I can't stress how important music has been to me and in my life. And I think so many artists would agree that, you know, that emotional quality of music is something you can't really put words on. It really does something in terms of belief and faith that. I'm sorry. I just feel like it'll always be so important and extremely. It should be priority. It should be prioritized. And I think we need it even more now when we feel a lot of, like I said, cultural identity being devalued or minimized. I think in a world that is technically or technologically connected, but yet lacking connection, I think it is art that remains the place that we go to feel connected to one another. And I hope that the work that I get to do is a reflection of that. So I really don't take it, you know, lightly that I get to do this thing and I'll continue to do that.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

So, yeah, I love it. Yeah. Cause it just seems like, I don't know, like I said, I think that you bring life. You bring so much to your music. Are you aware of how many babies have probably been made to your music? There are so many people here now that are probably here because of you.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

I've been told. I've been told once or twice. I'm not paying any child support on those babies. That is your job, man.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

So I like to always, like, wrap up in a way that feels special to me and the guests. And you're, you know, you're Miguel. You're like, a very sexy person. No, don't try to deny being sexy. It makes you more sexy.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

You gotta take me off. It's dinner and a movie first. Yeah, okay, slow down.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Now, I hate to put you on the spot in front of all these wonderful people, but I need your help. I have not set up my voicemail, and I'm wondering if you would, like, be my voicemail. Like, you would just, you know, like, say, like, leave a message. This is Josh. Phone. Whatever. But just do it in your own very sexy. Like. You mean, like, you could hum. You could. Whatever it is, but just.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Okay.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

All right, you ready? Okay.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

I didn't even. Okay.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

All right. Did I agree to this? All right.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Did I agree to.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Okay.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Hello? You read Josh's phone. Leave a message and he'll get right back to you. Goodbye. Good to see you again. He'll be right back as soon as he can.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Yeah. Oh, man, this is amazing.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

I got you.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

So many people are gonna call me now.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Version one, right?

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

This is incredible, y'.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

All.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Miguel Chaos is available now and tickets are on sale for his global tour, which kicks off in February. Miguel, we're gonna take a quick break.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

But we'll be right back. Thank you so much.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

This holiday, discover meaningful gifts for everyone on your list at K. Not sure where to start. Our jewelry experts are here to help you find or create the perfect gift in store or online. Book your appointment today and unwrap. Love this season only at K. Shopping is hard, right?

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

But I found a better way.

[Troy Awada (Reporter/Contributor)]

Stitch Fix Online Personal styling makes it easy.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

I just give my stylist my size, style and budget preferences. I order boxes when I want and how I want. No subscription required. And he sends just for me pieces plus outfit recommendations and styling tips. I keep what works and send back the rest. It's so easy.

[Troy Awada (Reporter/Contributor)]

Make style easy.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Get started [e-mail] Spotify. That's stitchfix.com Spotify. That's our show for tonight. But before we go, please consider supporting Feeding America. They are the largest hunger relief organization in the United States. If you can support them in their work, please donate at the link below. Now, here it is.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Your moment of Zen A penny for.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Your thoughts may now be a collector's item. The Mint has now stopped producing them.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

A major change for change.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Not making sense.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Doesn't make sense.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

It doesn't make sense.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

There's still a dime a dozen. Yeah, a little sentimental.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

That's just my two cents. Penny for your thoughts.

[Josh Johnson (Host)]

Oops.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

You got another pun?

[Troy Awada (Reporter/Contributor)]

Mm.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

Mm. No.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Explore more shows from the Daily show podcast universe by searching the Daily Show. Wherever you get your podcasts, watch the Daily show weeknights at 1110 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount Pl.

[Miguel (Guest, Musician)]

This has been a Comedy Central podcast.