John Stewart, will take a three-month break from hosting "The Daily Show" this summer. Stewart will be temporarily replaced by John Oliver, a presenter and writer on the show since 2006.
Stewart is stepping aside to direct a feature film called "Rosewater". The comedy news host also wrote the screenplay. This is something completely different for the late-night comedy news program host. He's been a host for the show for a decade-and-a-half, ever since he took over after Craig Kilbourn in 1999. Stewart has worked on other movies such as "Half-Baked".
"Rosewater" is based off the non-fiction book "Then They Came for Me: A Family's Story of Love, Captivity and Survival." The book is about BBC journalist, Maziar Bahari, who was captured and tortured in Iran's most infamous prison in 2009. Bahari went to Iran to do a story about their presidential elections and was captured due to speculation that he was a spy. Bound and blindfolded during his interrogations Bahari can only identify his torturer by the smell of his cologne-rosewater.
According to Time Magazine, "The Daily Show" had something to do with Bahari's capture. The journalist appeared on the show to do a skit about spies and Iran. The show was used as evidence that he was a spy. Bahari spent four months in the Iranian prison.
Stewart is scheduled to leave the show June 10 and will be gone for 12 weeks. Oliver will sit on his place for eight weeks. According to the Los Angeles Times, guest s scheduled to appear on the show with Oliver include Seth Rogen, Armando Iannucci, "Veep" co-creator, Mavis Staples and Fareed Zakaria.
