Jon Stewart extends ‘Daily Show’ hosting gig through end of 2025
By Liam Reilly, CNN
New York (CNN) — Jon Stewart is extending his time in the hosting chair at “The Daily Show” through December 2025.
In addition to hosting the Comedy Central show on Monday nights, the veteran comedian will also remain executive producer of the program for the rest of the week as it rotates its other comedians in the hosting chair, the Paramount-owned network announced Monday. The decision means audiences can expect Stewart to continue needling lawmakers as well as a future President Kamala Harris or Donald Trump with his stinging commentary and satire well into their first year in office.
“I’ve truly enjoyed being back working with the incredible team at ‘The Daily Show’ and Comedy Central,” Stewart said in a statement. “I was really hoping they’d allow me to do every other Monday, but I’ll just have to suck it up.”
Paramount Global co-CEO and Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios CEO and President Chris McCarthy praised Stewart as “one of the most important voices in political and cultural commentary today.”
“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,” McCarthy said in a statement.
In 2015, Stewart parted ways with “The Daily Show,” after 16 years in the hosting chair, and was followed by Trevor Noah, who hosted the show through 2022. The show struggled to find a permanent host after Noah’s departure, instead opting for a rotating lineup of comedians helm the program.
Stewart’s initial return to “The Daily Show,” announced this January, came as the show looked to bolster its struggling ratings. The re-hire has largely paid off, with Stewart’s return consistently delivering higher ratings than the show has seen in recent years. As a longtime vocal critic of former President Donald Trump, Stewart’s stewardship has benefitted from the 2024 presidential election cycle, offering the host ample material for his trademark heated monologues.
In his brief time back in the host seat, Stewart has already nabbed an Emmy in the Outstanding Talk Series category, a category he won for 10 consecutive years, from 2003 to 2012. Accepting the award, Stewart noted that the win “made an old man very happy.”
“This is remarkable, to have an opportunity to work with this incredibly talented group, has really made my Mondays,” Stewart said.
Following his 2015 departure, Stewart inked a deal with Apple, for whom he hosted “The Problem with Jon Stewart.” The show’s brief two-season run was cut short in 2023 after Stewart grew frustrated with the technology company’s increasing editorial oversight, which included exerting control over the subjects broached on the program.
Stewart’s return to Paramount Global has marked a major victory for the company as it looks to muscle up its streamer, Paramount+.
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