Jon Stewart, who's taking a summer break from the "Daily Show" to direct his first movie, said goodbye to viewers on Thursday's episode. The show will be hosted by John Oliver, till Stewart returns on Labor Day.
In the episode, Stewart explained the reason for his departure. Jason Jones, a comic and correspondent on the "Daily Show", interviewed journalist Maziar Bahari in Tehran in 2009; amid a slew of arrests later, Bahari was held in prison for three months. One of the things he was interrogated about was being in contact with an "American spy", ostensibly Jones (Stewart clarified that Jones is Canadian, to the laughter of the audience).
After Bahari was released, he wrote a book "Then They Came For Me: A Family's Story Of Love, Captivity And Survival". Stewart and he became friends and decided to make a movie of the book; the movie will be called "Rosewater". "We're gonna head out and do that, because in truth, great literature is not great literature until it's been made into a movie," joked Stewart.
Stewart bid a heartfelt temporary farewell to viewers as he takes a leave of absence from the show. "I will miss you far more than you will miss me and I can't wait to get back. Thank you for your indulgence," said the talk show host.
The episode soon came back to its usual hilarity. Stewart discovered his summer replacement Oliver taking measurements under the table, ready to make changes to the show - "I don't care what they say, it's my show now and I want it in pink," declared the British comedian and senior correspondent on "Daily Show".
As Stewart asked him for permission to cut to his last "Moment of Zen", he found that had been taken over by his replacement as well. "I've got your pens, I'm putting them in my pants," said a jubilant Oliver in the "Moment of Zen" clip. Back in the studio, as Stewart who had a pen in his mouth looked horrified, Oliver tried to explain that he thought he'd left. The episode ended with both of them giving each other a hug.
