Jon Stewart has had a field day with Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly’s proclamation that Santa Claus is, definitively, a white man, and now he’s issued an apology for taking her words and running with them.

When blogger Aisha Harris wrote last week about how difficult it was to see a white Santa as a child–and suggested that perhaps America should move towards a different icon for the holidays rather than a Caucasian man, such as a penguin–Fox News decided to debate the topic. But for Megyn Kelly, the answer was clear.

“By the way, for you kids watching at home, Santa just is white. But this person is arguing that maybe we should also have a black Santa,” Kelly said. ” But you know, Santa is what he is, and just so you know, we’re just debating this because someone wrote about it, kids.”

That comment started a huge buzz online, where social media blew up with comments about Fox News and about Kelly. Stewart fired back by saying, “Who are you actually talking to? Children who are sophisticated enough to be watching a news channel at 10 o’clock at night. Yet innocent enough to still believe that Santa Claus is real. Yet racist enough to be freaked out if he isn’t white. Yes, West Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.”

Kelly says her statements were meant as a joke, but Stewart wasn’t buying it, given Fox News’ history.

“I guess we all owe you an apology,” Stewart said. “What appeared to me to be another example of a Fox News segment expressing anger and victimization over the loss of absolute power and reframing that as persecution of ‘real America’ by minorities, freeloaders, and socialists — that’s trademarked, by the way. What I thought was that was a jest, a jape, a bit of wise-crackery.”

Image: Comedy Central