Comedy Central's desperate search to replace Jon Stewart's replacement has ended at the feet of Stewart himself.
The 61-year-old comedian, who famously hosted Comedy Central’s The Daily Show for 16 years until ceding the post to Trevor Noah in 2015, will return to oversee the program as executive producer through the 2024 election cycle. Stewart will also serve as host on Monday nights.
Paramount Global’s re-signing of Stewart isn't just a win for the fading Comedy Central linear brand, but also the company's emerging Paramount Plus streaming platform, which will feature The Daily Show as a tentpole asset.
Stewart confirmed Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios' announcement Wednesday morning with this tweet:
Friends. After much reflection I have decided to enter the transfer portal for my last year of eligibility. Excited for the future!5’7” ish16514.8 second 40#Blessed #NILBABY #TDSnation #LFGMJanuary 24, 2024
“Stewart is the voice of our generation, and we are honored to have him return to Comedy Central’s The Daily Show to help us all make sense of the insanity and division roiling the country as we enter the election season,” Chris McCarthy, chief executive of Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios, said in a statement.
“In our age of staggering hypocrisy and performative politics, Jon is the perfect person to puncture the empty rhetoric and provide much-needed clarity with his brilliant wit," McCarthy added.
Also read: Jon Stewart Walks Away From Apple TV Plus Series ‘The Problem’ Amid Creative Tensions: Reports
Noah received broad critical acclaim amid his seven-year, er, stewardship of The Daily Show, but the talk show lacked the zeitgeist-bending power it enjoyed under Stewart.
Comedy Central had been rolling with a rotating ensemble of Daily Show hosts since Noah left the program in October 2022.
Stewart, meanwhile, veered into the more serious, topical hourlong show The Problem With Jon Stewart in 2020 on Apple TV Plus. However, that relationship came undone in October, with Stewart departing over reported creative differences.
