Jon Stewart breaks down in tears as he announces the death of his beloved dog Dipper

Jon Stewart’s return to the Daily Show brought more than just laughs and biting political commentary.

In the February 26 episode of Comedy Central’s late-night show, Stewart got very serious when he announced the death of his dog Dipper.

Stewart, who hosts the Monday night episodes of the show, said the pit bull came into his family’s life when his children wanted to raise money for a New York City animal shelter about 12 or 13 years ago and set up a table outside the facility to sell cupcakes.

“As a little extra incentive, they brought out this brindle pit bull, about a year old, who was hit by a car in Brooklyn and lost his right leg,” Stewart said, starting to hold back tears.

“It was the perfect idea. They put the dog on my lap. And we left that day feeling good about having helped this great organization. And we also left with this brindle pit bull who was about a year old. We named him Dipper. And in a world full of good guys, he was the best,” he said.

Stewart said Dipper would come to the Daily Show every day, noting “he was part of the dog crew on the original ‘Daily Show'” and Dipper would wait for him while they taped the show.

“He met actors, writers, presidents and kings. And he did what the Taliban couldn’t: He terrified Malala Yousafzai,” he joked, before showing a clip of the Pakistani activist running away from Dipper backstage at the show.

Stewart then burst into even deeper tears as he told everyone that Dipper had died and marveled at what a wonderful pet he had been.

“Dipper died yesterday,” he said, his voice gasping. “He was ready. He was tired, but I wasn’t. And the family, we were all together. Thank God. We were all with him. But, boy, I wish that one day you find that one dog, that one dog, that is just the best.”

He then introduced the show’s signature “Moment of Zen,” a 20-second clip of Dipper frolicking in the snow.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com.