The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and guest Jon Stewart during the show on Monday, June 17, 2019
CBS Photo Archive | CBS | fake images
Jon Stewart returns to “The Daily Show,” but only on Mondays.
The comedian hosted the Comedy Central talk show between 1999 and 2015, before passing the baton to South African comedian Trevor Noah. Noah left the show at the end of 2022, and the show has gone through a slew of guest hosts over the last year, but never settled on a single replacement.
Stewart will host “The Daily Show” on Mondays beginning Feb. 12 and will appear through at least the 2024 election cycle. The rest of the week will feature a rotating cast of show regulars.
Stewart's return comes as Supreme, owner of Comedy Central, is looking to keep the flagship series afloat on the network, especially during an election year when Stewart's political commentary has often thrived in the past. The economics of late-night television have weakened in recent years as advertisers flee the linear space. Audiences have also shifted toward streaming video and often watch these shows online through YouTube the day after they air.
“Jon Stewart is the voice of our generation, and we're honored to have him return to Comedy Central's 'The Daily Show' to help us all make sense of the madness and division shaking the country as we enter election season.” Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios, said in a statement Wednesday. “In our age of staggering hypocrisy and performative politics, Jon is the perfect person to cut through the empty rhetoric and provide much-needed clarity with his brilliant wit.”
Since leaving “The Daily Show” in 2015, Stewart has stayed busy as executive producer of CBS' “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and weekly spots on Apple's streaming service through his show “The Problem With Jon Stewart”, which was recently cancelled.
Stewart is also an avid philanthropist and has lobbied for health care benefits for veterans and 9/11 first responders.
