Student loan debt is not just re-shaping the modern family, according to “The Daily Show,” but it’s also going to re-shape something far more important: family-based TV sitcoms.
Shining a light on the massive impact that the exploding amount of unpaid student loans is having on individuals of all ages across the country, “The Daily Show” attempted to have some fun by creating a new TV show, “Meet the Debts.” The show features a family where a son moves back home after college because he is not able to repay his student loans, only to find out his parents are having the same problem.
Before “debuting” the sitcom, Trevor Noah, the host of “The Daily Show” spent some time putting the size and scope of the student loan problem into context.
“In many ways, student debt is the new herpes,” Noah said. “Almost everybody has it, it stays with you your whole life, and eventually, you’re going to have to tell your fiancé about it.”
The segment also discussed how more older Americans are stuck with student loan bills, either their own that they are trying to pay off, or loans that they co-signed for their kids. Noah had some fun with the lack of a statute of limitations on the collection of student loans.
“Student loans can follow you until you die?” Noah asked. “We hope that’s where it stops. It would suck if you were still paying off your loans in heaven.”
