The Daily Show: Ears Edition

Episode: TDS Time Machine | Black History Month

Date: February 16, 2026
Host: Comedy Central news team (Jon Stewart, Trevor Noah, correspondents)

Overview

This special “TDS Time Machine” edition of The Daily Show marks Black History Month by revisiting standout segments from years past, blending current events, historical parody, and razor-sharp Daily Show comedy. Covering timeless topics—from the ways Black History Month is celebrated (or misunderstood), to parody interviews in the Trump era, to satirical breakdowns of civil rights history—the episode unpacks the ongoing struggle for social justice with wit, absurdity, and a sly jab at America’s attempts to commemorate and commercialize Black history.

Key Discussion Points & Segments

1. Street Interviews: Black History in the Trump Era

(03:00–09:16, Street with Josh Johnson)

• Josh Johnson investigates what Black History Month looks like under a second Trump administration, where even saying the word “Black” is quasi-taboo.
• Notable segment: People attempt to describe civil rights icons (MLK, Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglass) while avoiding “banned” words related to race or civil rights, leading to hilariously convoluted answers.
• Memorable moment:
  • Interviewee: “Frederick Douglass gave us Tupac in a sense, which I did not see coming.” (06:17)
• Commentary on why some people are “so against True Mom [Trump]”: “Some people are just posterior orifices. I don’t understand that concept.” (07:15)
• Josh hands out fake “Harriet Tubman 20s” as prizes: “Maybe one day you can use those Tubmans to buy something. Beyonce tickets.” (08:40)
• Running joke: Rewriting Black figures’ stories to fit a “colorblind” or censored version of history, mocking contemporary discomfort with race topics.

2. Black History, 1965 Style

(09:16–13:37, Vintage Parody News Desk)

• Trevor Noah (channeling a 1960s host) introduces a “1965 broadcast”—Selma, Dr. King’s march, and civil rights protests.
• Correspondent Roy Wood Sr. sharply critiques the logic of arresting Black protestors for “parading without a permit,” contrasting this with the Klan’s free rein:
  • Roy Wood Sr.: “Did the Klan fill out their paperwork before marching in my neighborhood?” (11:08)
• Satirical "progress report": “We’ve gone from lynchings to beatings now to peaceful arrests... At the rate of progress, I bet you it’s gonna be a fun day marching arm and arm with the police.” (12:24)
• Closing punchline: The imagined future movie “Selma: The Day When Nothing Happened At All.”

3. Debate: What Actually Is Black History Month?

(14:19–18:40, Desk with Jon Stewart and Larry Wilmore)

• Larry Wilmore (Senior Black Historian) pokes fun at Black History Month:
  • “The purpose [of Black History Month] is making up for centuries of oppression with 28 days of trivia. I’d rather we got casinos.” (15:22)
• Jon Stewart tries (and fails) to list notable Black historical figures beyond the usual roll call.
• Larry’s solution: “Let’s throw a huge party before it starts... Let’s call it Whitey Gras.” (17:12)
• Exchanges lampoon how both white and Black Americans feel forced into performative celebration.

4. CP Time: Civil Rights Marches

(18:45–23:37, Roy Wood Jr. Segment)

• Roy Wood Jr., as the host of “CP Time,” takes a tongue-in-cheek tour through the history of Black protest marches.
• Jokes about avoiding the Selma march because it was on a bridge: “If God wanted the Black man to cross rivers, we would have been born with little floaty things on our arms like white people.” (19:55)
• Revisits iconic marches:
  • 1995 Million Man March: Blames “parachute pants” for not hitting a million attendees.
  • The Black Panthers marching on the California Capitol: “I know you like to think being out in public with a big gun was your idea, but that was some Black shit first.” (21:56)
• Honors Ida B. Wells: Parodies Black women’s quiet refusal to accept second-class status: “Either I go with you, or not at all. Which is basically a turn of the century way of saying, I’m about to take my earrings off, heifer.” (23:02)
• Self-deprecating humor: “I couldn’t join the Black Panthers looking that square. I looked like a Wesley Snipes who does pay his taxes.” (22:36)

5. Modern Injustice: The Michael Dunn Case

(31:44–36:20, Desk with Jessica Williams)

• Jessica Williams reflects on the impossibility of justice for Black Americans in the Florida Michael Dunn “loud music trial”:
  • “The Dunn verdict is really the cherry on top of the… it’s Sunday, that is Black History Month. First we got assigned February, the month nobody wants. The only month that contains the letters F and U.” (32:05)
• Explains the concept of “fear goggles”:
  • “That’s the lens through which chronically terrified white people look at black kids. ... Once you put on fear goggles, you’ll hit anything with a bullet.” (33:25)
• Satirical “life lessons” for Black youth:
  • Stay inside to avoid scaring white people
  • Don’t hang out in groups — “The only thing scarier than one black kid is a whole pack of them.” (34:56)
  • Turn off “suspicious” music.
• Dismantles “Stand Your Ground” as a racially unequal policy:
  • “It works miracles for whites, but it will ruin your colors.” (36:15)

6. On the Street: How Are You Celebrating?

(36:23–41:42, Street Interviews)

• Black and white people asked to share what Black History Month means to them and personal “blackest” or “whitest” experiences.
• Jokes highlighting culture, stereotypes, and ignorance:
  • “What’s the blackest thing you’ve ever done?” … “Be chitlins.” / “I put cereal in a Glad bag so I can keep it for the roaches.” (39:13)
  • “What’s the whitest thing you’ve ever done?” … “Surfing.” / “Improv. Pay my taxes. Mayonnaise.” (40:19)
  • Many stumped when asked to name members of the Wu-Tang Clan or sing the Black national anthem.
• Light-hearted exchanges reveal awkwardness and camaraderie over cultural identity.

7. The Obamas, Trump & Black History Month in the White House

(41:42–44:45, News Roundtable)

• The show satirizes media obsession over Obama’s “casual” look post-presidency (“He never wore his hat backwards as president...it’s almost like he’s black!”).
• Mocks Trump's Black History Month “listening session”:
  • “Nice of Donald Trump to have every Black person who voted for him in one room.” (42:57)
  • Ridicules Trump’s odd remarks about Frederick Douglass: “Frederick Douglass is an example of someone who’s done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more. Is Frederick here now? Stand up, Fred.” (43:25)
  • Points out the absurdities in Black outreach (“Some of the top gang thugs in Chicago want to sit down with me because they respect you.”)

8. Dulcé Sloan’s "Black Women’s History Day"

(44:46–49:57, End Segment with Dulcé Sloan)

• Dulcé Sloan claims February 29th as “Black Women’s History Day” (since the rest of February “is taken”):
  • “Why only one day every four years? Because—you know, the wage gap and your momma, them.” (45:18)
• Rapid-fire celebration of Black women’s achievements
  • Shirley Chisholm: “Imagine going door-to-door in Bed-Stuy asking for campaign contributions.” (46:22)
  • Dr. Shirley Jackson: “The only reason long-distance relationships work... pour a little Wi-Fi out for your girl.” (47:13)
  • Missy Elliott: “Proved black women can make a hit song while singing forwards and backwards.”
  • Kamala Harris: “First female VP and one bad bike ride away from being president.”
  • Mae Jemison: “What took so long? ... She came back. That’s never a guarantee.” (48:45)
  • Lisa Leslie: “She changed the game—when women dunk, we do it with titties. Slows you down.” (49:23)
• Shout-out to her own mother: “She’s out there every day, loving, giving, and literally mothering me. You’re welcome!” (49:46)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The purpose of Black History Month is making up for centuries of oppression with 28 days of trivia. I’d rather we got casinos.” — Larry Wilmore (15:22)
• “Did the Klan fill out their paperwork before marching in my neighborhood?” — Roy Wood Sr. (11:08)
• “Some people are just posterior orifices. I don’t understand that concept.” — Street Interviewee (07:15)
• “The only thing scarier than one black kid is a whole pack of them. Four black guys could be taking a calculus test together and to jumpy white folks, it would still look like a scene from The Wire.” — Jessica Williams (34:56)
• “Frederick Douglass is an example of someone who’s done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more. Is Frederick here now? Stand up, Fred.” — Donald Trump (as recounted by the show, 43:25)
• “Lisa Leslie, basketball legend who was the first woman to dunk in the NBA. That’s right... we do it with titties. Slows you down.” — Dulcé Sloan (49:23)

Important Timestamps

• 03:00 – Josh Johnson’s street interviews about Black history under Trump
• 09:16 – Trevor Noah’s 1965 Selma parody
• 14:19 – Black History Month “debate” with Larry Wilmore
• 18:45 – Roy Wood Jr. on the legacy of marches (“CP Time”)
• 31:44 – Jessica Williams on the Michael Dunn verdict
• 36:23 – Street interviews: “Blackest/whitest” things people have done
• 41:42 – Obama and Trump’s Black History Month observances
• 44:46 – Dulcé Sloan’s “Black Women’s History Day” round-up

Tone & Style

The episode features classic Daily Show humor: satirical, self-referential, and unafraid to use biting irony to critique America’s awkward relationship with Black history. The language is playful, sometimes absurd, yet remains anchored in truth.

The correspondents mix proud celebration, gallows humor, and frustration, highlighting both the joys and surreal frustrations of Black American history and its official recognition. Would-be awkward moments become springboards for laughter and real talk.

Takeaway

This “TDS Time Machine” episode weaves together the comedy of discomfort, historical parody, and sharp social commentary. If you missed it, you’ll come away with a richer sense of why Black History Month is both treasured and lampooned—and how history, in the hands of The Daily Show, is never just in the past.