Jon Stewart has re-upped his deal to executive produce The Daily Show and host it on a part-time basis, Paramount announced on Monday.
The news was expected. Last week, at an event for the New Yorker, Stewart said he is “working on staying” with the Comedy Central late-night show. Stewart hosted the series (solo) from 1998 to 2015, and returned in 2024 as a sometimes-host and all-the-times EP.
Standup comedian Trevor Noah was the Daily Show host for most of the in-between years (with some lengthy tryouts and guest takeovers on each end.)
Stewart’s current contract is set to expire in December. In late October 2024, just ahead of the presidential election, Stewart announced he would stay on through 2025. One year into Donald Trump’s second term and there is still work to be done, clearly, so Stewart is now obligated through 2026. Stewart typically hosts the Monday night Daily Show episode, and the show’s correspondents, including Ronny Chieng, Josh Johnson, Jordan Klepper, Michael Kosta and Desi Lydic, rotate the other nights.
“Jon Stewart continues to elevate the genre he created. His return is an ongoing commitment to the incisive comedy and sharp commentary that define The Daily Show,” said Ari Pearce, head of Comedy Central. “The renewal is a win for audiences, for Comedy Central and for all our programming partners. We’re proud to support Jon and the extraordinary news team.”
Jen Flanz is Daily Show showrunner. She and Stewart’s long-time manager James “Baby Doll” Dixon executive produce (alongside Stewart).
Stewart’s continuation beyond his current one-year contract was not always a definite considering what went down months ago with his buddy, former correspondent and later late-night lead-out Stephen Colbert. Colbert’s days at CBS are numbered; Comedy Central and CBS are both owned by Paramount Skydance.
Colbert’s canceled Late Show will wrap its run in May 2026. It is pretty widely believed that a major factor in the decision to cancel The Late Show was Colbert’s contentious coverage of Trump, which dates way back to his Daily Show and Colbert Report days. David Ellison needed Trump’s governmental agencies to approve the merger between his Skydance corporation and Paramount Global, and this could have been one way to curry favor with the administration. The theory is further bolstered by the recent CBS News shakeup(s) under Ellison — Trump had beef there as well.
On Sunday’s 60 Minutes, Trump praised the new direction of the newsmagazine program and CBS in general.
