Jon Stewart examines his Louis C.K. reaction: 'I didn't know. What if I did?'

Welcome to Hollywood: The men who aren't being accused of sexual harassment or assault are still getting a crash course in appropriate behavior in the wake of all these disturbing stories. Good.

Jon Stewart was the subject of much scrutiny on Tuesday after saying on the Today show that he was "shocked" to hear the confirmed accounts of sexual misconduct by Louis C.K. The reaction and word choice were quickly torn apart on the internet, especially on Twitter (Stewart isn't on the site).

It's a time for everyone to familiarize themselves with concepts like gender inequality and toxic masculinity, and Stewart explored both on Stern Show Wednesday to unpack how his words were received.

Stewart recalled a Jezebel article from the early 2000s that referred to The Daily Show's "boys' club" mentality, and how his instinct was to be defensive.

"My first response was like...'No no no no, I'm an O.G. feminist, man! I was raised by a single mother in the '70s,'" he said. "She had a shirt that said 'A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.' I felt like shit in my own house for being me."

"There are things in it that are untrue, that are...an implication of true piggishness that I felt was untrue," Stewart added.

He went back to the writers' room to rail about the article and realized, looking around the room, that it was right. Stewart thought his show was ahead of the game because it took blind submissions, but the submissions came from agents – who tended to be biased toward white men from Ivy League schools.

"To change that system takes actual effort," Stewart said. Once he got past his defensiveness to examine the criticism, he tried to do better.

Stern and Stewart discussed the sexual misconduct by Louis C.K., which came to light a week ago and led to HBO cancelling his appearance at the Night of Too Many Stars charity event, which Stewart will host on Nov. 18.

"I am defensive about it," Stewart said. "When the people have that certainty of 'You knew,' I know that I didn't know."

"You have to look at it in the context," he added. "My context is when I say, 'Louis is my great friend,' a lot of great friends that I started with and that I work with I don't have their phone numbers I don't have their emails – when we see each other we fall right back into – it's lovely to see them."

The implication is that Stewart considers C.K. a friend, and he said as much in the interview, but by Stewart's definition, that means they rarely spoke. Stewart first heard of any sexual misconduct allegations against C.K. in 2012 – he mentions the blind item in Gawker which went up that year and that he didn't know who it was about.

Stewart described the internet as "an information-laundering system" that he instinctively mistrusts, so he went on the defensive.

"Now their reaction makes sense to me," Stewart says after a lengthy explanation. "They're furious and they've been dealing with this for years and years. And so for me to express even my obliviousness...is an indictment."

"I didn't know," he continued. "What if I did? That's the thing that bothers me. What if I did? What if I had known one of the women who is making the accusations -- and I don't...and one of them came to me and said...Louis did this. Would I still have worked with him?...I can't honestly answer it, and that makes me feel shitty."

Stewart recognizes that being flippant or dismissive contributes to the toxic atmosphere that kept many of these women silent for decades. However, the scrutiny of the internet (he's a self-described recluse), particularly after his TODAY appearance, can scare people off of effective learning.

"I'm an individual that I still believe in my own decency," Stewart added. "I am fallible as fuck and make mistakes but I can grow. I'm the type of person, hopefully, that can be helpful, because I think I can still learn and change behavior."