The Daily Show got the video-game equivalent of a new life when Jon Stewart agreed to return in February of last year. With the country in turmoil, it was a relief to welcome back Stewart’s sarcastic satire. But the triumphant homecoming could already be coming to an end.
That’s because Stewart’s once-a-week contract is about to expire in a few weeks, according to LateNighter. His original deal to return to his old seat at The Daily Show only ran through the 2024 election; Stewart later signed an extension to continue through December 2025. Somehow, the clock is ticking once again.
But, as always seems to happen during Trump administrations, one year can look very different from the one before it. For example, who could have foreseen a year ago that two long-running late-night hosts would lose their jobs in 2025, one for a week and the other permanently. Both disappearances can be directly linked to the kind of critical Trump comedy for which Stewart is famous.
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Then there’s the matter of The Daily Show’s new owners. While no one is owning up to the connection, the removal of Stephen Colbert appeared to be connected to the FCC’s approval of Paramount’s sale to David Ellison and friends. If shutting up Colbert was part of Ellison’s agenda, this is the perfect opportunity to say goodbye to Stewart.
The case for Stewart? Now that Ellison has his deal in place, he’s less likely to make changes to appease the administration. Look no further than South Park for proof that comedic dissent is allowed under the new Paramount.
And The Daily Show’s ratings are up. After years of stagnation, numbers are climbing among younger viewers. Stewart’s Monday night version of the show is number one among 18- to 34-year-old viewers. Wouldn’t Comedy Central want to keep the party going?
The wild card in all of this is Stewart himself. He and Trevor Noah had a podcast discussion in June about The Daily Show being “easily the hardest thing” either man has ever done. Stewart has walked away before, burnt out and ground down by the grind of covering the news cycle. “I’m not getting the same satisfaction,” he told The Guardian in 2015 before taking off for his farm for nearly a decade.
Where’s Stewart’s head at now? On the one hand, his one-day-a-week schedule has to be easier on his nervous system. On the other hand, he’ll be 63 next month, an age that people — especially those with millions in the bank — start thinking about retirement. Does he really want to sign up for another go-round, knowing that he’ll be a MAGA target for the foreseeable future?
As an insider at The Daily Show observed, “It all depends on what Jon decides.”
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