In an outtake shared by “The Daily Show,” the legendary now once-a-week host Jon Stewart is asked by an audience member how he feels about being back. After a joke about the difficult once-a-week work schedule, he sincerely shared, “I have to say, it’s been lovely” — while also noting that he wouldn’t want to do it more frequently.
After he received the question, Stewart replied, “How happy am I to be back… tonight?” before he added, “You know, I don’t know if any of you have ever had to slog it out, one day a week like this.”
“I don’t know what you guys do — and listen, this is not to disrespect your work ethic or any of the things that you are,” he continued, “but, you know, it was around 3 o’clock today, 3 o’clock in the afternoon. And I remember turning and looking at somebody and saying, ‘I just don’t know how much longer I can do this.’”
“You know, ’cause… it was almost 4,” he said. “No, it’s been— I have to say, it’s been lovely. I have been in hibernation for a few years with my family, and I would never, ever give that up, it’s been wonderful. And COVID played very much into my social leanings in terms of reclusiveness.”
In conclusion, he said, “So, once a week is about right, for me with people, and for people with me.”
Stewart announced his return to the show in January and officially returned — on Mondays only — on Feb. 12.
“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,” the president and CEO of Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios, Chris McCarthy, said in a press release.
“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,” McCarthy added.
Watch the exchange between Jon Stewart and audience member in the video above.
