'The Daily Show' recap 6/18: Immigration Reform and Jim Gaffigan

The June 18, 2013 episode of the Daily Show focuses on immigration reform, and Jim Gaffigan’s new book Dad is Fat.

The episode begins with John Oliver discussing the recent efforts to legislate immigration reform. The Senate is making actual progress in this effort to create a bipartisan reform. The Republicans are participating, but not because they want to do so. Oliver plays the clip of Senator Lindsay Graham saying that the Republican Party needs to support this bill in order to get the Hispanic vote. Oliver says that this bipartisan effort is taking strides because the Republicans think it will win them Hispanic votes, and the Democrats know that it actually will. Some of the aspects of this bill is to create a 13 year path to citizenship, and strengthen boarders. Republicans want to amp up the bill, such as making proficiency in English necessary.

The second segment is a continuation of the immigration reform topic. Even the WWE has an immigration reform centered storyline. Oliver says that their discussion of it is better thought out and presented than any of the discussion from the government. It is unclear from Oliver’s coverage exactly what the storyline is, but one of the wrestlers is either an immigrant or pro-immigration. They even mention Oliver taking over the show from Jon Stewart. In response, Oliver decides to challenge and trash talk the wrestler. Of course, Oliver is a tiny Englishman, so he is not exactly intimidating. He calls on Mick Foley to help out, and the result is some hilarious trash-talk with some excellent points. Oliver challenges the wrestler to come to the show next week, but Foley is not available. He is producing a documentary about Santa Claus (which he is actually doing).

The guest on this episode is Jim Gaffigan promoting his new book, Dad is Fat. Oliver and Gaffigan mostly discuss Gaffigan’s family. The name of the book comes from the first sentence Gaffigan’s son wrote on a dry erase board. They had a pretty amusing discussion about Gaffigan’s five kids and two bedroom apartment in New York. Gaffigan explained that they were not doing it on purpose. It was just a result of timing. Every time it would work to move, his wife was a long way in to a pregnancy. He says that making a seven month pregnant woman move is not something he wants to do.