“Jon’s incisive intellect and sharp wit make him one of the most important voices in political and cultural commentary today,” Chris McCarthy, Paramount Global Co-CEO and President/CEO, Showtime & MTV Entertainment Studios, said in a statement. “His ability to cut through the noise and deliver clear-eyed insights is exactly what we need which is why we are thrilled to have him leading The Daily Show for another year.”
The Daily Show launched on Comedy Central in 1996 with host Craig Kilborn. Stewart took over from Kilborn in 1999 and hosted the show through 2015, winning several Emmys and a few Peabody Awards during his tenure. He was succeeded in 2015 by Trevor Noah, who hosted through 2022. After that, the beloved political satire series was sent somewhat into disarray. While Comedy Central hunted for a new permanent host, the show aired with a rotating cast of celebrity guest hosts in 2023. The gig very nearly went to Hasan Minhaj until a fact-checking scandal took him out of the running. With a contentious U.S. election looming in 2024, the network made a deal to get Stewart (whose new series The Problem With Jon Stewart had been canceled over at Apple TV+) back behind the desk on Mondays, with the show’s other correspondents taking turns hosting throughout the rest of the week.
It remains mildly ludicrous that Comedy Central hasn’t managed to find a fresh new voice to take over The Daily Show, but if Stewart wants to keep doing it, who are we to argue? Whatever way the wind blows, there will still be plenty of political news to skewer after November. “I’ve truly enjoyed being back working with the incredible team at The Daily Show and Comedy Central,” the comedian said in his own statement. “I was really hoping they’d allow me to do every other Monday, but I’ll just have to suck it up…”
