Don't Mess With The Daily Show

On a nightly basis, The Daily Show makes some of the smartest analysis of current events with unparalleled wit and satire. So what do you think would happen when Jezebel.com kicked some "The Daily Show's Woman Problem" sand in their eye?

The women of the program - all 31 of them (40% of the staff) responded, leading politely with "Dear People Who Don’t Work Here".

"Recently, certain media outlets have attempted to tell us what it’s like to be a woman at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. We must admit it is entertaining to be the subjects of such a vivid and dramatic narrative. However, while rampant sexism at a well-respected show makes for a great story, we want to make something very clear: the place you may have read about is not our office. The Daily Show isn't a place where women quietly suffer on the sidelines as barely tolerated tokens. On the contrary: just like the men here, we're indispensable. We generate a significant portion of the show's creative content and the fact is, it wouldn't be the show that you love without us."

Regarding their figurehead host:

"Jon’s not just a guy in a suit reading a prompter. His voice and vision shape every aspect of the show from concept to execution. The idea that he would risk compromising his show’s quality by hiring or firing someone based on anything but ability, or by booking guests based on anything but subject matter, is simply ludicrous. But what’s he really like? Well, for a sexist prick, he can be quite charming. He's also generous, humble, genuine, compassionate, fair, supportive, exacting, stubborn, goofy, hands-on, driven, occasionally infuriating, ethical, down-to-earth and--a lot of people don't know this--surprisingly funny (for a guy brimming with “joyless rage”). How else to describe him? What's the word that means the opposite of sexist? That one. "

I've got another blockquote to end their statement:

"The truth is, when it comes down to it, The Daily Show isn't a boy's club or a girl's club, it's a family - a highly functioning if sometimes dysfunctional family. And we're not thinking about how to maximize our gender roles in the workplace on a daily basis. We're thinking about how to punch up a joke about Glenn Beck's latest diatribe, where to find a Michael Steele puppet on an hour's notice, which chocolate looks most like an oil spill, and how to get a gospel choir to sing the immortal words, "Go fuck yourself!"

It's signed by all the female staffers, listing their positions and years of experience, who added, "Thanks to the male writers who penned this for us."

You can marvel at the whole thing here, and even enjoy the a partial list of things Jon Stewart has supported them through (including the writers' strike, babies, pet emergencies, and inadequately researched blog posts that cling to a predetermined narrative).