After making a grand return to “The Daily Show” in February, Jon Stewart is expanding his partnership with Comedy Central with the launch of a new weekly podcast.
“The Weekly Show With Jon Stewart,” which launches in early June, will see the host dive into the most critical topics across current events, featuring a variety of guests, including newsmakers, authors and celebrities. The podcast will be available across all major platforms and produced by Paramount Audio in association with Busboy Productions.
“After much reflection, meditation and prayer, I have decided to extend my work week to two days,” Stewart said in a statement. “All hail Comedy Central!”
Stewart’s first appearance back on the late night program drew in 1.85 million in total same-day viewers across Comedy Central, CMT, Logo, MTV, MTV2, Paramount Network, Pop and TV Land, according to Nielsen. On Comedy Central alone, the telecast scored 930,000 total viewers, marking the biggest audience “The Daily Show” had seen since 2018. In delayed viewing, that figure climbed to over 3 million viewers. And in his second week back, the show’s ratings grew 42% over his first appearance.
Stewart is back to host only on Mondays as a part of the show’s 2024 election cycle coverage, with the correspondent news team holding down the fort the rest of the week. He executive produces the series alongside showrunner Jen Flanz and James “Baby Doll” Dixon.
The franchise’s growth has also extended in the audio space following Stewart’s return, as “The Daily Show: Ears Edition,” also produced by Paramount Audio, claimed a spot as a Top 10 Comedy podcast.
“Jon’s return to ‘The Daily Show’ has been a runaway success – a powerful reminder of why he’s the voice of our generation and so critical to the national conversation,” Showtime & MTV Entertainment Studios president and CEO Chris McCarthy — who serves as a member of Paramount Global’s Office of the CEO — said in a statement. “This new podcast enables Jon to delve even deeper into complex issues and make sense of it for all of us through his razor-sharp wit and indelible humor.”
“The Daily Show” airs weeknights at 11 pm ET. Dixon Talent and WME made the podcast deal.
