“Jon Stewart continues to elevate the genre he created. His return is an ongoing commitment to the incisive comedy and sharp commentary that define The Daily Show,” Ari Pearce, Head of Comedy Central, said in a statement. “The renewal is a win for audiences, for Comedy Central and for all our programming partners. We’re proud to support Jon and the extraordinary news team.”
Stewart’s return comes shortly after he told the New Yorker Festival audience he was “working on staying” with the network. When Paramount was acquired by Skydance, the comedian expressed uncertainty about the show’s future. “I’d like to believe that without The Daily Show… I don’t know. Comedy Central is kind of like muzak at this point,” he said on his podcast. “I think we’re the only sort of life that exists on a current basis other than South Park.” (Notably, the South Park guys got a very lucrative five-year deal with the network earlier this year, but Stewart’s contract has been negotiated on a year-by-year basis since his return in 2024.) Not only is The Daily Show one of Comedy Central’s most well-known brands, it’s also been doing quite well in the ratings. Last month, LateNighter reported that the show has been posting record-high ratings, including the biggest share of the coveted 18-49 year old demographic the series has seen in a decade.
So even if Stewart was pissing off the president (of the studio or of the United States), keeping him around still seems to make good business sense. And though Stewart has publicly identified some ethical issues with Paramount, “You don’t compromise on what you do, and you do it until they tell you to leave,” he said at the New Yorker Festival. “They’ve already done things that I’m upset about. But then if I had integrity, maybe I would stand up and go, ‘I’m out.’ Or maybe the integrity thing to do would be to stay in it and keep fighting in the foxhole.”
