Jon Stewart Returning To Host The Daily Show, Just In Time For Election Year
The night is always darkest before the dawn (or so they say), and just when it seemed like all hope was lost ... a hero made his dramatic, last-minute return. Okay, today's news isn't quite on the level of Christian Bale's Batman coming out of self-imposed retirement in "The Dark Knight Rises" or a bearded Cap stepping out of the shadows in "Avengers: Infinity War," but we'll take what we can at this point. Jon Stewart, everyone's favorite talk show host and political humorist, is making his grand — and rather unexpected — return to hosting duties on "The Daily Show" just in time for the upcoming American presidential election.
The news was announced by President/CEO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios Chris McCarthy (via The Hollywood Reporter), though with a wrinkle. Rather than returning full-time, Stewart will merely host one episode a week on Mondays while the network cycles through a number of other correspondents (the THR report specifies Jordan Klepper, Desi Lydic, Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta, and Dulcé Sloan by name as "likely" alternatives) beginning on February 12, 2024. McCarthy had this to say in a prepared statement:
"Jon Stewart is the voice of our generation, and we are honored to have him return to Comedy Central's 'The Daily Show' to help us all make sense of the insanity and division roiling the country as we enter the election season. In our age of staggering hypocrisy and performative politics, Jon is the perfect person to puncture the empty rhetoric and provide much-needed clarity with his brilliant wit."
Return of the king
The news of Jon Stewart's return to "The Daily Show" caps off a lengthy search for his ultimate replacement after first leaving the hit late-night talk show back in 2015. (Talk about good timing, politically-speaking.) Heir apparent Trevor Noah subsequently took up the reins but, upon his departure after seven years, fans of the program resigned themselves to the possibility of a rotating series of hosts. This became especially likely once it became clear that one-time leading frontrunner Hasan Minhaj had a bit too much baggage, particularly after a disastrous profile with The New Yorker that called into question the validity of his anecdote-based humor. Now, however, Stewart has pulled the ultimate "Fine, I'll do it myself" move (to keep the superhero movie theme going, don't mind me) in what'll assuredly result in a ratings boost for Comedy Central.
The move comes after Stewart's transition to the Apple TV+ streaming series "The Problem With Jon Stewart" flamed out after its second season, a disappointing result that was chalked up to "creative differences" between the always-headstrong Stewart and gun-shy Apple executives. The well-traveled host should have no problems on that front as he makes his way back to familiar territory over at Comedy Central. Intriguingly, though the once-a-week move was likely made to accommodate Stewart's desire for less wear and tear these days, THR describes him as "heavily involved" in the capacity of executive producer — even on nights that he won't be hosting "The Daily Show." Short of a full-fledged reunion tour, this seems like the absolute best-case scenario that fans could've hoped for.
After years away from the grind of "The Daily Show," having a reinvigorated Jon Stewart on our airwaves in the lead-up to the next presidential election is just what the doctor ordered.