In what may end up being the most surprising entertainment news of 2024, Jon Stewart is back as host of The Daily Show nine years after his previous run ended.
A few months after the cancellation of his Apple TV+ current affairs series, The Problem with Jon Stewart, the comedian struck a deal with Paramount to be the host of the Comedy Central series every Monday through the 2024 US presidential election.
Jon Stewart’s first episode as the returning host will be on Monday, February 12. A rotating team of correspondents will host on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, but Comedy Central has yet to confirm any of the other hosts.
In addition to serving as a part-time host, Stewart is also expected to run the show through at least 2025 and will be an executive producer alongside Jen Flanz.
Stewart acknowledged the news in a typically ridiculous fashion on his X profile:
“Jon 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,” said Chris McCarthy, President/CEO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios. “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.”
Stewart took over as host of The Daily Show in 1999 following the departure of Craig Kilborn. He would go on to host thousands of episodes over a 16-year run that ended in 2015 when former correspondent Trevor Noah succeeded Stewart. Noah eventually left as well at the end of 2022, and guest hosts have been rotating in and out ever since.
