Jon Stewart is returning to The Daily Show.
Stewart, who for 16 years helmed the late-night show during its most popular era and transformed the Comedy Central satirical news program into a political heavy hitter, is rejoining the show as a part-time host for the 2024 U.S. election cycle.
He will make his return to the hosting chair on Feb. 12 and will appear every Monday night leading up to and including the election.
He is also expected to stay on through 2025 in the role of full-time executive producer.
Stewart rather cryptically announced his return on social media Wednesday.
“After much reflection I have decided to enter the transfer portal for my last year of eligibility,” he wrote.
Stewart’s homecoming comes after a year-long search for the show’s next host, following Trevor Noah’s abrupt exit at the end of 2022.
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For the past year, The Daily Show has been relying on a procession of guest hosts that have included Kal Penn, Leslie Jones, Chelsea Handler, Hasan Minhaj and Sarah Silverman.
“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,” said Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, in a statement.
“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.”
The Hollywood Reporter suggests that The Daily Show is likely to rely on a team of correspondents for the remainder of the week, including Jordan Klepper, Desi Lydic, Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta and Dulcé Sloan.
Stewart’s homecoming is being heralded as a major coup for Comedy Central, as he was the one to transform the show that not only mocked the news cycle but also informed viewers about political and current affair issues.
He was the recipient of the 2022 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and garnered a collective 56 Emmy Award nominations for his work on The Daily Show.
He is credited with launching the careers of Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Trevor Noah, Michael Che, and Samantha Bee, as well as Steve Carrell, Jessica Williams, Olivia Munn and Josh Gad.
The Daily Show airs on Comedy Central and is available the next day on Paramount+ in Canada.
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