Jon Stewart will step down as host of 'The Daily Show,' he announced during Tuesday night's taping. Comedy Central confirmed the news in a tweet.
Stewart has been at the helm of the beloved satirical news program for over 15 years. He will continue hosting the show until later this year.
According to a tweet from CBS News, Stewart told fans he had felt "restless."
Comedy Central President Michele Ganeless released the following statement:
“For the better part of the last two decades, I have had the incredible honor and privilege of working with Jon Stewart. His comedic brilliance is second to none. Jon has been at the heart of Comedy Central, championing and nurturing the best talent in the industry, in front of and behind the camera. Through his unique voice and vision, ‘The Daily Show’ has become a cultural touchstone for millions of fans and an unparalleled platform for political comedy that will endure for years to come. Jon will remain at the helm of ‘The Daily Show’ until later this year. He is a comic genius, generous with his time and talent, and will always be a part of the Comedy Central family.”
Stewart joined 'The Daily Show' in 1999, replacing Craig Kilborn. Covering topics such as the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, torture, CIA spying, and several presidential elections, he transformed the show into a powerful and respected voice in American media.
His hard hitting interviews--including one with President Obama in 2012--gained him credibility among viewers. He was even named one of America's most trusted news sources in a 2009 poll.
Stewart is also noted for his sharp criticism of cable news, particularly Fox News.
The show is Comedy Central's longest running program other than South Park. At its peak, it boasted over 3 million nightly viewers. It has won 19 Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards, and inspired three popular spin-offs: 'The Colbert Report,' 'Last Week Tonight,' and 'The Nightly Show.'
Stewart had previously taken a leave of absence in 2013 to direct the film 'Rosewater.'
The 52-year-old comedian began his career doing stand-up. His first show was 1987 at the Bitter End in New York City.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
What about Craig Ferguson? He just gave up his late, late night show; but his comedy style is very different, and he is a good interviewer. And the Celebrity Name Game show he's doing now wouldn't be all that much to give up. His was the only talk show I watched in the last 5 or so years, even though it was on after Letterman (12:30-1:30).
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts
In years past, if I was up at 12:30-1:30, it was to finish up the quart.
Recently I am sound asleep at that time.
Heck, I'm sound asleep by 10:30 now-a-days.
So Brian Williams goes out (for six months) humiliated and derided. Jon Stewart goes out (permanently, one hopes) the same day, but on a giant Comedy Homecoming King float, with a 21-gun salute from the media, his path strewn with roses and teardrops.
Why?
Brian Williams lied about his personal exploits a few times. Jon Stewart was unabashedly and habitually dishonest.
Though Stewart has often claimed he does a “fake news show,” “The Daily Show” isn’t that. It’s a real news show punctuated with puns, jokes, asides and the occasional moment of staged sanctimony.
It contains real, unstaged sound bites about the days’ events and interviews about important policy matters.
Stewart is a journalist: an irresponsible and unprofessional one.
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Thanks to polemicists and clowns, the myth that “Bush lied” has caught on, and now a majority of Americans believe it. Stewart-ism won the day
.
QED
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
