Jon Stewart Is Back Where He Belongs

After Trevor Noah (Jon Stewart’s replacement) gave word that he would be leaving The Daily Show, the hunt for a replacement turned into a revolving door of guest hosts. The Daily Show has gone for more than a year without a permanent host, marking the perfect time to bring in a familiar face. 

Surprisingly, viewers enjoyed the variety of hosts who appeared on the show over the past year, and ratings are in a very good place. Jon Stewart’s return to The Daily Show will bring a new structure to the show, mixing the comfort and stability of a familiar face with some newly added talent. 

Jon Stewart will be responsible for hosting The Daily Show on Mondays, and a team of correspondents will host the rest of the week. Jordan Klepper, Desi Lydic, Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta, and Dulce Sloan will all make their mark on the hot seat during the newest season of the show, which begins on February 12th.  

Jon Stewart will only be hosting one day a week, but he will have his hand in a few other aspects of The Daily Show as well. He will serve as one of the series’s executive producers on other nights. 

The initial reason for Jon Stewart leaving The Daily Show seems similar to why Trevor Noah left the show. The role of the host is quite grueling, leading anyone who takes part in a life of exhaustion. 

In light of the year-long search for a lead player, the show’s production team has learned the benefits of sharing the role. Jon Stewart said the end of his 16-year run on The Daily Show was due to a lack of excitement and drive. He was burnt out, and many other people were hungry for the role. 

After a short run on his Apple TV+ show Problems, Stewart left prematurely due to “creative differences.” In short, Apple wouldn’t allow him the freedom he desired with the show. Jon Stewart’s returning to The Daily Show for just one night a week will hopefully help keep his spark for the project bright and avoid exhaustion or burnout. 

Decision-makers at Paramount never anticipated bringing Jon Stewart back as host of The Daily Show. Still, circumstances have shifted, and the story of the hilarious, politically-driven host continues. 

Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, said publicly, “Jon Stewart is the voice of our generation … (He) is the perfect person to puncture the empty rhetoric and provide much-needed clarity” for The Daily Show viewers. 

Source: The Hollywood Reporter