Jon Stewart, who is known for finding the humor in tragedy, failed to find anything to joke about in the decision not to indict a police officer who killed Eric Garner in a choke hold.
"I honestly don't know what to say. If comedy is tragedy plus time, I need more f--king time," Stewart said. "I would settle for less tragedy than comedy, honestly."
The Daily Show host proceeded to compare Garner to Ferguson, saying that whether evidence exists or doesn't exist, it always yields the same result.
"I think what is so utterly depressing is that none of the ambiguities that existed in the Ferguson case exist in the Staten Island case," Stewart said. "Yet the outcome is exactly the same."
"No crime, no trial, no harm, no foul."
Stewart showed footage that was taken of Garner right before his death to prove his point that new police vest cameras might not do any good because recordings failed to bring justice in this case.
"We are definitely not living in a post-racial society. And I bet there are a lot of people out there wondering how much of a society we are living in at all," Stewart said. "I don't know what to say. It just happened, so I have not had a chance to digest it."
New York police officer Daniel Pantaleo killed Garner during an attempted arrest in July. Garner repeatedly told the officer that he couldn't breathe, but Pantaleo kept him in the choke hold.
The unusually somber host tried to lift the mood by showing footage of a cat giving another cat a massage, but even then Stewart couldn't face the racial issues plaguing the animals.
"In my current frame of mind I can't help but wonder, 'Of course the white cat's getting the massage,'" he joked.
The Comedy Central star wasn't the only celebrity to be outraged by the decision. Using the trending hashtag #ICantBreathe, stars such as Shonda Rhimes, Aaron Paul and author John Green tweeted about the decision.
"How is this America? #ICantBreathe," Rhimes tweeted.
Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul tweeted his lack of understanding in the decision, writing, "How do 'crazy' cops keep getting away with this?!? He murdered that man. Stop the madness. #EricGarner #ICantBreathe."
Green, author of tear-jerking bestseller The Fault in our Stars tweeted a transcript of Garner's final words.