Although it’s been days since Rick Sanchez made unflattering remarks about Jon Stewart (and his own CNN bosses), we had to wait until Monday night to hear Stewart’s response to the controversy.

Despite being called a “bigot,” The Daily Show host feigned excitement about being mentioned by the (former) CNN anchor. “Rick Sanchez knows my name!” he squealed.

Stewart even gave props to Rick—who claimed Jon “grew up in a suburban, middle-class New Jersey home with everything that you could every imagine”—for really nailing “what is was like growing up in Central Jersey in the early seventies. The fortunate son of a single mother in the education field.”

For clarification, Jon asserted that his program’s jokes about Sanchez had nothing to do with ethnicity. “It’s just that we here kind of see him as a complex television character who is flawed, but fascinating to watch every week,” Stewart stated.

Cue video of Michael Scott from The Office—and Jon’s job placement idea. “[Steve] Carell is leaving The Office. NBC is looking to replace him … Danny McBride ain’t gonna do it. Sanchez is available.”