Paramount announced the return of Jon Stewart to "The Daily Show" as its executive producer and host on Monday evenings beginning Feb. 12 through the 2024 election cycle.
The return marks a historic reunion for Paramount's Comedy Central and Stewart, who put the show on the map from 1999 to 2015. The iconic series has been without a permanent host since Stewart's replacement, Trevor Noah, announced he was leaving after seven years with the network in 2022.
The Daily Show was hosted first by Craig Kilborn, then Stewart and Trevor Noah-- all playing the part of a made-up media character, no matter how ridiculous it came off. The show went on to win an Emmy Award earlier this month for Best Talk Series despite the show being without a host since Noah's departure. Current correspondents include Desi Lydic, Michael Kosta, Ronny Chieng, and Jordan Klepper.
Stewart left the network amicably and has only spoken fondly of his time there.
"When you lose that structure, you're untethered from the thing that prevents the bad mind from doing its corrupt best," he said on the Strike Force Five podcast during the Hollywood strikes last year. "It goes south and dark really fast."
"It's not like I thought the show wasn't working any more, or that I didn't know how to do it. It was more, 'Yup, it's working. But I'm not getting the same satisfaction,'" Stewart told the Guardian newspaper in 2015.
The show's long-time legacy also served as a launching platform for stars like John Oliver, Larry Wilmore, Olivia Munn, Samantha Bee, Roy Wood Jr., and Aasif Mandvi. In 2022, Stewart received the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
It's hard not to mention two former correspondents who received a tremendous push from the show-- Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert.
The Associated Press reminded readers that Carell had gone on to achieve an Oscar and Emmy nominated acting career in the TV series, "The Office," as well as films like "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and "Foxcatcher." Colbert successfully segued to a Comedy Central spinoff called "The Colbert Report" from 2005 to 2014 and is now the host of CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."
Recently, Stewart's "The Problem With Jon Stewart," which debuted in 2021, was canceled on the Apple TV+ streaming service. Addressing divisive issues such as racism, climate change, mass incarceration, and gun control, it faced much criticism for its outspoken approach.
The Los Angeles Times said in a review, "The host spends some time searching for his old rhythm, the soft-loud-soft approach, in which he rockets from calm to horror to a person crouched in a corner croaking 'help.'"
The AP revealed the show's abrupt ending was reportedly due to disagreements between Stewart and Apple over its content coverage involving China and artificial intelligence.
There is no word on who will host "The Daily Show" after the November election. Stewart will stay on board as executive producer through 2025, as he is widely known for being the driving force behind the cultural and political phenomenon.
