Jon Stewart's film debut gives new meaning to the word "Cut!'' The comedian's role as Goldie Hawn's younger lover in The First Wives Club is out of the picture. And Heather Locklear's part as a trophy wife has been reduced to one scene.

The glossy revenge comedy also stars Bette Midler and Diane Keaton. It's about three middle-age friends who plot against their husbands when they're dumped for sexy playthings. The Paramount film opens Sept. 20. "It ran long, they trimmed and poor Jon was out,'' says Matt Labov, Stewart's spokesman. "Naturally, he's disappointed, but c'est la vie.''

But Stewart fans can still see him Sept. 20 -- in an HBO special, Jon Stewart Unleavened. Next week, he'll make a guest appearance on The Larry Sanders Show, also on HBO. And in the spring, he'll be in the Miramax movie, Wishful Thinking.

Says Hawn: "As much as I love Jon, before it was even cast I said to Scott [Rudin, the film's producer], 'Let's get rid of this. It's not pertinent to the plot. You are going to cut this.' And sure enough it was the first to go.'' First Wives Club executive producer Adam Schroeder says Stewart "did a great job and cutting him out had nothing to do with his acting.'' In fact, "we're looking for a project for him. He's definitely a movie star.''