CNN
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Jon Stewart returns to “The Daily Show.”
The comedian, who established the show as an entertainment and cultural force during his 16-year run as host of the Comedy Central show, will host the show every Monday starting Feb. 12, Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios announced Wednesday.
Returning as the 2024 presidential election season heats up, Stewart will produce the show and work with a rotating lineup of comedians who will lead the show on other days of the week, Tuesday through Thursday.
“Stewart is the voice of our generation, and we're honored to have him back on Comedy Central's 'The Daily Show' to help us all make sense of the madness and division rocking the country as we enter election season,” Chris McCarthy, chief executive of Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios, said in a statement. .
“In our age of staggering hypocrisy and performance politics, John is the perfect person to pierce through the empty rhetoric and provide much-needed clarity with his brilliant wit,” added McCarthy.
Stewart won praise hosting “The Daily Show” for his sharp humor, used to deliver monologues — bitter and hilarious — aimed at exposing the hypocrisy of politicians.
With Joe Biden and Donald Trump in the 2024 election, Stewart will have no shortage of material to work with. Stewart is a staunch critic of Trump and will undoubtedly use the platform to jab the former president.
Stewart's return to the venerable show is sure to generate significant excitement and provide a much-needed buzz to boost the show, which has struggled to find its footing in recent times.
After leaving “The Daily Show” in 2015, Stewart signed a deal with Apple to host a show for the tech company's new streaming service. But that show came to an abrupt end last year. Stewart told staff at the time that he was frustrated with the control the Silicon Valley firm wanted to exert over the show and what was covered on its guest list.
Convincing Stewart to return to “The Daily Show” was a major coup for Comedy Central. Although Trevor Noah received critical acclaim for hosting the show after Stewart's departure, it never had the same cultural impact as it did under Stewart's tenure.
Poaching Stewart is a win for Paramount Global, which is trying to revive it on its Paramount+ streaming service. Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios, which is responsible for much of the streamer's content library, said episodes with Stewart will be available on the platform the day after they air on Comedy Central.
