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The Future. Jon Stewart is heading back to late night at his home of 17 years, The Daily Show. Stewart has a mandate to not just anchor the show but also to anchor its future direction. Specifically, the responsibility to crown a new host may be part of a larger trend of relying on influential talent to lay out the vision for a future without them — a sort of monarchy of media.
Old face, new era
Jon Stewart is making headlines with his return to The Daily Show.
- Stewart will host Monday nights through the 2024 presidential election to commentate on the event — similar to how Maddow negotiated to stay on The Rachel Maddow Show on Mondays so she could pursue other projects.
- Stewart will also be an EP on the late-night show and will be instrumental in finding a successor to the last full-time host, Trevor Noah — similar to Bob Iger’s mandate at Disney.
- And Stewart has the track record to do it — he launched the careers of stars like Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Samantha Bee, and John Oliver.
Champagne bottles are likely popping at the Paramount Global headquarters right now. Despite seeing a ratings boost and a big social media footprint with the 12 celebrity correspondents that The Daily Show has cycled through since Noah’s departure, ad revenue is way down, and last year’s Hasan Minhaj drama battered the brand.
For Stewart, the return gives the comedian and activist a swift win after his fallout with Apple over the creative direction of his last talk show, The Problem with Jon Stewart.
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