It was as volatile as the stock market.
The showdown between feuding cable hosts Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer came to a head last night with one trying to make peace, while the other continued the war that’s been blazing across the airwaves and the Internet for weeks.
Cramer, the financial forecaster who hosts CNBC’s “Mad Money,” went on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” and told host Jon Stewart he was a “fan of the show.”
While the two had fun with what was billed as “the weeklong feud of the century,” Stewart also hammered the financial host known for using crazy sound effects as he dishes out stock tips.
“I understand that you want to make finance entertaining, but it’s not a f – – -ing game,” he said. The expletive was bleeped out.
Cramer defended his on-air antics by telling Stewart, “I, too, like you, want to have a successful show.” But the CNBC host acknowledged that he dropped the ball by not foreseeing the financial crisis.
“Should we have been constantly pointing out the mistakes that were made?” he said. “Absolutely. I truly wish we had done more.”
When Stewart claimed that CNBC dupes viewers into thinking they can get rich quick with shows like “Fast Money,” Cramer said, “There’s a market for that.”
Stewart shot back, “There’s also a market for cocaine and hookers.”
The cable cold war began last month after Cramer’s CNBC colleague Rick Santelli canceled an appearance on Stewart’s show.
Stewart responded on his show by going nuclear against Santelli and CNBC. His diatribe against the network included a clip of Cramer assuring viewers that “Bear Stearns is fine,” days before the investment bank tanked.
Cramer responded on a TV interview by belittling Stewart as “a comedian” and a “variety-show host.”
Then Stewart fired back on his show with clips of Cramer waving his arms and pushing buttons on his sound board.
Last night’s show began with an announcer intoning, “Welcome to Brawl Street!”
Then the Comedy Central host showed a clip of Cramer on “The Martha Stewart Show” pounding on dough and pretending it was Stewart.
“Mr. Cramer, don’t you destroy enough dough on your own show?” Stewart asked.