After a long, drawn-out search for the new host for The Daily Show, the hunt can finally come to an end. According to The Hollywood Reporter, alumni of the program Jon Stewart will be replacing Trevor Noah as host of The Daily Show. Stewart will be on the air on Monday nights through the 2024 presidential election.
Upon the announcement, Showtime CEO Chris McCarthy talked about his excitement about having Stewart as the new host of the show. He said in a statement, “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. 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 also chimed into the conversation regarding the excitement about his return back to The Daily Show. Although his statement is littered with the usual sarcasm and dry humor that Stewart is best known for. He spoke out on Twitter, saying “Friends. After much reflection I have decided to enter the transfer portal for my last year of eligibility. Excited for the future! 5’7” ish 165 14.8 second 40 #Blessed #NILBABY #TDSnation #LFGM”
Back in 2021, Stewart talked to THR about the reasoning as to why he departed The Daily Show “The truth is I left The Daily Show for a reason. It didn’t feel like I was singing as joyful a song as I wanted to be singing, but my life was still really good. I had wonderful moments at the show, and I didn’t feel it was a burden,” he said. “I just didn’t know what else to do with it, this gift — and being allowed to be on TV is a gift. That said, I never felt the weight of the world at The Daily Show. I felt the weight of the team. I had this group of people who were industrious, talented, funny as f*ck, and raring to go, and my mind was wandering.”
The Daily Show has been looking for a new host since Noah announced his departure after the last season in 2022. They had run through several comedians and comedic actors who served as guest hosts and who were strong contenders to take the permanent spot. Some of these are Leslie Jones (Saturday Night Live), Hasan Minhaj (Haunted Mansion), and Sarah Silverman. (Saturday Night Live, Wreck-It-Ralph)
Jon Stewart will begin hosting The Daily Show beginning Monday, February 12 at 11 pm EST on Comedy Central and will continue to host the program weekly.