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Jon Stewart is coming home.
The comedian who made
The Daily Show
a cultural phenomenon on American television will be back on the show starting Monday, February 12.
Stewart was a pioneer of
fake news
before it jumped into the mouths of politicians and the mainstream.
His sharp political humor will shine again once a week in a year that predicts a new electoral clash between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
Stewart will also be the producer of the broadcast until 2025.
The news has been confirmed by Comedy Central, which hosted
The Daily Show
for 16 seasons since 1999. The show's executives have had difficulty finding a host since the departure of comedian Trevor Noah in December 2022. Since then, managers have bet for rotating several comedians in hosting the legendary broadcast, which launched the careers of Steve Carrell, Stephen Colbert and John Oliver, among others.
“Stewart is the voice of our generation and it is an honor to have him back,” said Chris McCarthy, the president of Showtime and MTV Entertainment, to whom the comedy channel depends.
“In a time of staggering hypocrisy and politics for the gallery, Jon is the right person to underscore the empty rhetoric and provide much-needed clarity with his brilliant wit,” he added.
Stewart took over in 1999 from Craig Kilborn, a comedian who had worked for the sports network ESPN.
His achievement was to turn a nightly broadcast with modest ratings into a cultural product that was in the conversations of Americans and won 10 Emmy Awards.
Stewart didn't leave
The Daily Show
on bad terms.
His last show, broadcast in August 2015, was watched by 3.5 million viewers.
He recorded the second best audience in the history of late night (first place is occupied by the interview with Barack Obama in October 2008).
That night, the always eloquent Stewart was left speechless and left truly moved and on the verge of tears in front of the cameras.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band capped that era with a performance of
Land of Hope and Dreams
.
Stewart is a hero to liberals.
He has never been afraid to get into controversy and call right-wing journalists, like Bill O'Reilly or Sean Hannity of Fox News, hypocrites to their faces.
However, when Trump arrived at the White House, Stewart no longer had his popular megaphone.
Trevor Noah, a South African comedian, was the network's main critic of the controversial Republican Administration.
Stewart still had a lot to say.
In July 2016, almost a year after his departure, he was invited by Stephen Colbert to the CBS late-night broadcast.
The comedian dedicated part of his time to criticizing the conservative party and Donald Trump.
“A thin-skinned narcissist who has no experience in Government.
That sounds exactly like...Barack Obama.
So now the right-wing media will have to spend 24 hours a day, seven days a week justifying the choice they just made,” he said after the Republican convention that had anointed the businessman.
Stewart seemed to have turned the page on the talk show format.
After leaving Comedy Central he signed a deal with Apple to produce content and explored a twist to the formula.
From this partnership was born
The Problem
, which debuted in 2021 on the Apple TV+ platform with 20 episodes per season.
Stewart used the program to speak in depth about issues that are often perceived from the political extremes such as climate change, racism, gun control and public health.
The broadcast had two seasons until last October when the technology giant announced the end of the project due to differences with production.
Some executives had expressed concern about some of the issues that
The Problem
was going to address in its third season.
Especially those dedicated to artificial intelligence and China, where the company manufactures its iPhones and other products.
The Problem competed at this year's Emmys in the talk show category, but the award went to the Daily Show headed by Trevor Noah.
Stewart did not weaken as a television celebrity.
In 2022 she won the Mark Twain Award, the highest recognition that American comedians can receive for his career.
“Jon made it
cool
to be informed,” said Olivia Munn, another of the actresses who used the Daily Show to launch her career.
Bruce Springsteen was also at that ceremony, where he played a cover of
Come Together
by the Beatles.
Stewart now has the difficult task of trying to unite Americans in the polarized year of 2024.
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