Jafar Panahi Tells Jon Stewart He’d Be Killed for Saying a Fraction of His Monologue in Iran | Video

Jafar Panahi reminded Jon Stewart to be grateful for his First Amendment rights, noting the comedian would likely be executed for the same jokes in Iran.

“I was watching your show now,” the “It Was Just an Accident” director said during Monday’s episode of “The Daily Show.” “If you say one-hundredth of what you just said in Iran, the sentence will be execution … Because in our films, we don’t even get to one-hundredth of what you said here.”

He continued: “There are many Iranian filmmakers now who are in prison. And in the past two months that there were protests, one of our filmmaker friends got killed. You’re dealing with a state, with a regime that will not allow you to even say one-hundredth of what you just said.”

Prior to their sit down, Stewart issued a scathing monologue, in which he criticized President Donald Trump’s strikes in Iran, especially given he did not get Congressional approval for the military action.

Yet, as Panahi noted, the Iranian government would “not even tolerate a peaceful protest,” which prompted the widespread massacres and severe crackdowns on demonstrators in recent months.

“I’m sorry if I messed up the mood of your show,” Panahi added as “The Daily Show” studio audience listened intently.

In response to Panahi, Stewart shared he was “in awe” of the filmmaker, who has been arrested, charged and jailed repeatedly over the last decade-plus for criticizing the Iranian government through his films. He was even sentenced in absentia back in December to another year in prison for alleged “propaganda activities” tied to “It Was Just an Accident” (which is up for Best International Feature Film at the 2026 Oscars).

“We often take for granted even the most — our fear is we’re heading in the wrong direction, in terms of being censored and those types of things,” Stewart said. “But so clearly, our perspective is warped. Because in our country, freedom is — we consider it a birthright and settled law and will — and why we fight so hard to preserve it when we see it threatened, which is why you are, I think, such a real hero of mine.”

“It Was Just an Accident” was inspired by Panahi’s time spent in prison, as the film follows a handful of former political prisoners who believe they’ve found the jailer who previously tortured them.

However, Panahi scoffed at the idea of being labeled a hero, adding, “When you talk about heroism, you have to say, ‘Compared to what?’ Is it compared to the person who’s been in prison for 10 or 15 years? Then I’ve only been in prison for a few months.”

As Panahi saw it, he was simply doing his job, reiterating that he still plans to return home to Iran after awards season concludes with the 2026 Oscars.

“It’s just my country,” he said. “Half of my being is there. My family is there. And I lived there permanently until three, four months ago, when I came out because of the Oscar campaign. My son, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, my colleagues — everyone is there. When half of you is there, then how could you be out?” Watch their full conversation below.

Panahi’s comments come days after Trump confirmed late Friday evening that the United States military, along with Israel, engaged in major combat operations in Iran.

The president said at the time that the new military campaign was “massive and ongoing,” defending it was meant to “prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests.”

“The Daily Show” airs weeknights at 11 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.

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