In actually good political news, Jon Stewart is officially extending his return to “The Daily Show.” The late night legend will continue to host the Comedy Central show once a week through December of 2025.
Previously, Stewart was only expected to host through the 2024 election. This upping of his onscreen appearance is a sign that “The Daily Show” in its new format seems to be working for Comedy Central.
“Jon’s incisive intellect and sharp wit make him one of the most important voices in political and cultural commentary today,” Chris McCarthy, Paramount Global Co-CEO and president and CEO of Showtime & MTV Entertainment Studios, said in a statement to press. “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.”
“I’ve truly enjoyed being back working with the incredible team at ‘The Daily Show’ and Comedy Central. I was really hoping they’d allow me to do every other Monday, but I’ll just have to suck it up,” Stewart said in a statement.
In its current format, Stewart hosts “The Daily Show” once a week. The remaining three shows are hosted by one of the members of the Daily Show News Team, often led by Michael Kosta, Desi Lydic, Jordan Klepper and Ronny Chieng.
As stipulated by the deal he made with Paramount nine months ago, Stewart will remain an executive producer on the series through 2025 and is expected to EP beyond that. Showrunner and executive producer Jen Flanz also serves as an EP along with Stewart’s long-time manager, James “Baby Doll” Dixon.
“The Daily Show” has seen a significant ratings boost since Stewart’s return in February. The program’s second live post-debate episode was the highest rated for “The Daily Show” in seven years. Its ratings were 92% higher than those of an average episode hosted by Stewart (0.572 vs. 0.298), and the episode saw the best share for “The Daily Show” since Stewart left the series in August of 2015.
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