Jon Stewart, a born and bred New Yorker, kicked off his Monday night installment of The Daily Show celebrating the momentous victory of the Knicks, shouting out sanitation workers and the community of NYC for coming together to celebrate the team’s triumph for the first time since 1973.

Describing an “overwhelming sense of joy and solidarity and diversity and community and a good amount of crying and a lot of contact high,” Stewart mocked right-wing media’s depiction of the festivities as violent, apologizing that they couldn’t live up to its depiction of a “peaceful gathering” like the Jan. 6 insurrection.

“Although, to be fair to that mob, you know, they lost. So, anger justifiable,” he quipped.

Acknowledging that some hooliganism did take place, it was a “record low” for a Saturday night, the late-night host added, maintaining, “Where you see a mob destroying a school bus, I see people of all faiths and creeds and colors and sexualities coming together to destroy a school bus. It ain’t a melting pot until you light that bitch on fire!”

The comic then transitioned to the other major sports event of the weekend outside of the Knicks win and World Cup — the White House‘s UFC Freedom 250.

“What a god-awful mockery of an event that somehow managed to find a way to devalue both combat sports and our national dignity,” he began. “Who even aired this embarrassing shit?”

After playing a news feed that announced Paramount+ as the streaming partner, The Daily Show cut back to an overly penitent Stewart: “And what a fine event it was. Once again, the leaders of Paramount+ providing us all with incredible content at reasonable prices,” he said, flashing a thumbs up. “I am proud to stand with the Paramount family and whatever shows they decide to either cancel or put on.” (The Daily Show‘s cable channel, Comedy Central, is owned by Paramount Skydance.)

“You know, the average American, they don’t want their White House to stand for certain morals and values,” Stewart stated. “The regular people in this country want their president to live in a slightly more violent Hooters, or a slightly less violent Waffle House.”

In wrapping up his monologue, the two-dozen-time Emmy winner concluded: “The real division in America isn’t between cities and rural areas or suburbs or heartland values and coastal elites or liberals and conservatives, it’s between people anywhere who find joy in community versus those who seem to only find it in fealty. And I know which America I want to occasionally step in dog shit in.”

EXCLUSIVE: The Kinema streaming platform is bringing two acclaimed documentaries to viewers at home for a limited time: Berlinale winner Holding Liat and DOC NYC premiere Everything You Have Is Yours.

Tickets to view each film are $5. Half of the proceeds of each ticket will be donated to the Gaza Soup Kitchen. Holding Liat, directed by Brandon Kramer and produced by Lance Kramer and Darren Aronofsky, among others, is streaming on Kinema through this Thursday (June 18), with a live virtual Q&A set for Thursday evening featuring the Kramers and protagonist Joel Beinin, in a conversation moderated by Rabbi Benjamin Barnett.

Everything You Have Is Yours, directed by Tatyana Tenenbaum, will stream on Kinema from June 21-25. A live virtual Q&A will take place for that film on June 25, featuring Tenebaum, editor Sasha Perry, and protagonist Hadar Ahuvia, moderated by Rabbi Alissa Wise.

The Kinema release marks an innovative collaboration between the filmmakers behind both documentaries and two progressive Jewish organizations – Rabbis for Ceasefire and Expanding Our Conversation on Israel/Palestine. Rabbis for Ceasefire “organizes rabbis and other Jewish clergy to realize well-being for all people by: Dismantling Jewish supremacy in policy and rhetoric, making a unique, accountable, and impactful contribution to the Palestinian freedom movement,” according to a release. Expanding Our Conversation, meanwhile, notes that it embraces “the Reconstructionist movement’s values of justice (tzedek), compassion (chesed), and the dignity of all human life (b’tselem Elohim). Our embrace of these values leads us to oppose Israel’s oppression, occupation, and dehumanization of the Palestinian people.”

Holding Liat earned a place on the Oscar documentary shortlist this past year despite having no U.S. distribution (it was broadcast in the UK on BBC Storyville and played at 75 film festivals around the world). It tells the story of the family of Liat Beinin Atzili who sprang into action after Liat and her husband were seized by Hamas terrorists on October 7. While desperately trying to win Liat’s release, the family refused to demonize Palestinians in general.

Everything You Have Is Yours centers on Hadar Ahuvia, an NYC-based choreographer of Israeli descent, exploring “her family’s connection to early Zionist pioneering culture through the lens of Israeli folk dance. A poignant portrait of political reckoning featuring diverse Jewish and Palestinian voices and artistry, Hadar challenges us to envision a Jewish culture beyond Zionism.”

“We’re thrilled to work with the brilliant teams behind Holding Liat and Everything You Have Is Yours to bring these films to audiences,” noted Kinema CEO Christie Marchese.

Kinema, launched in 2021, is a global streaming and community cinema platform, where filmmakers control their release dates, territories, and partners.

Even the microdrama world is catching World Cup fever.

In a eye-catching move, Brazilian football star Neymar Jr. has scored a strategic partnership with COL Group’s vertical entertainment platform, FlareFlow, a deal announced as the 2026 World Cup continues in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

The pact, which was unveiled to chime with the APOS conference in Bali, sees the creation of a 16-title, AI-powered live-action microdrama franchise featuring the global soccer icon. It is easily one of the largest deals between a sports star of Neymar’s reputation – he has a social media following of more than 220 million – and a microdrama company.

A first wave of six titles, including The Way Back to Glory, begin launching on June 19 and continue to drop through to June 22. The global distribution agreement will also see the slate launch in mainland China via Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), a lifestyle and content platform with more than 200 million daily users.

Produced using AI-powered live action production workflows, the Neymar titles will comprise a series of titles that feature the player. A synopsis of the first six are below. The remaining ten titles will roll out throughout the broader football season using an “event-driven release strategy designed to capture sustained global fan engagement.”

“This partnership represents a defining moment for the global entertainment ecosystem,” said James Wang, CEO of Flareflow. “Neymar is one of the most commercially magnetic athletes on the planet. Bringing his global star power together with our advanced AI creative workflows allows us to push the boundaries of storytelling at an unprecedented scale.

At Flareflow, we are focused on shaping the future of premium mobile content,” Wang added. “Together with COL Group, we are creating high-impact entertainment that moves faster and resonates deeper with modern audiences worldwide.”

“Unveiling this franchise marks the true dawn of our Vertical 2.0 strategy,” added Timothy Oh, General Manager of COL Group International and Flareflow Chief Marketing Officer. “We are expanding premium vertical storytelling far beyond its first wave into highly scalable genres like sports, timed perfectly to capture global attention during the World Cup season.

“Through our unique dual-distribution strategy across Flareflow and Xiaohongshu, we are bridging global audiences and reaching over 200 million daily active users in China,” Oh continued. “This event-driven rollout proves that mobile-first premium content is now a dominant force in the global media landscape.”

Neymar slate titles

The Way Back to Glory

After a devastating betrayal shatters his career, a fallen football prodigy battles pain, disgrace, and impossible odds for one final shot at redemption on the world’s biggest stage.

The Playboy System: Scoring the Goddesses

When Neymar mysteriously loses his football genius, he must complete a supernatural mission to win over five powerful women or lose his talent forever.

Soccer Star Kidnapped Into the Galaxy Cup: Score or Die!

Abducted in the middle of the World Cup final, Neymar is forced into a high-stakes intergalactic tournament where victory is humanity’s only chance for survival.

Fake Neymar, Real God

After waking sixty years in the future at his own funeral, Neymar must rebuild his shattered legacy and prove he is still football’s destined king.

Project to Legend: NEY 10

Left broken and disgraced after a brutal attack, Neymar awakens a mysterious power system that offers one impossible path back to football greatness.

The Limping Janitor Is the True World Football King

Dismissed as a crippled janitor, a fallen football legend secretly returns from the shadows to expose betrayal and reclaim the crown that was stolen from him.