I have searched several places online and I've gotten several different answers, hopefully some of you can give insight. I am currently writing my first novel. It's a political satire and I want to have a scene where the main character is being interviewed on The Daily Show. My question is can I have Jon Stewart talking and use The Daily Show name without permissions or would I be better off creating a similar fictional show? Thanks.
I'd go with making it up, but make it obvious you are riffing it. This keeps you out of trouble if fans don't like the way your Jon Stewart is portrayed and gives you the freedome to include a few like characters in your character. For instance, Call him Ron Roberts (pronounced Ron Robets cause the 'r' is silentent) who hosts The Nightly Show with Ron Roberts. It's pretty obvious it's Stewart and Colbert, but now you aren't confined to making fun of just one character.
I should mention that I'm writing it in the first person as a sort of mock memoir. I have been debating whether using the real shows would add some authenticity or if it wouldn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. It's only one fairly small scene (for now).
Until and unless your story goes to publication, you can use anyone you like (real, made-up, or thinly desguised). I don't know if you can out-satire JS; and, if not, that aspect may never see the light of day. If you can, then my hat's off to you, and maybe a publisher will agree. But a scene? I wouldn't worry about it till you have to (your agent will know how to advise you on that). Maybe keep a disguised version to substitute for the real thing if and when you require it.
