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Jon Stewart will remain behind the anchor desk of “The Daily Show” through the end of 2026 amid ongoing uncertainty in late-night television and concerns that his parent company is moving to favor President Donald Trump.
Comedy Central announced that Stewart will continue to host the Emmy-winning series every Monday – a role he has enjoyed since returning to “The Daily Show” ahead of the 2024 election – and will serve as the show’s executive producer until December 2026.
Jon Stewart is constantly elevating the style he has created. “His return marks a continued commitment to the sharp comedy and sharp commentary that defines The Daily Show,” Comedy Central head Ari Pierce said in a statement Monday. “The renewal is a win for viewers, Comedy Central and all of our programming partners. We are proud to support John and his extraordinary news team.”
The move will see the comedian, who initially led the political satire show from 1999 to 2015, remain in his place once a week during next year’s midterms and gubernatorial elections. During the rest of the week, correspondents from The Daily Show’s “News Team” – such as Ronny Chiang, Jordan Klepper, Josh Johnson and Desi Lydic – will take turns behind the anchor’s desk.
More than that, however, this extension will ease the questions about Stewart’s immediate future that have been swirling since Paramount spun off Stephen Colbert’s late-night show on CBS, Comedy Central’s sister network. Colbert, a close friend of Stewart and one-time “Daily Show” correspondent, is set to exit CBS next May as “The Late Show” franchise ends after more than three decades.
The cancellation of Colbert — a vocal critic of Trump — was announced last summer as Paramount was preparing to close a politically charged $8 billion merger with David Ellison’s Skydance Media.
While Paramount claimed the decision was “purely financial” due to late-night television becoming unprofitable, it came after Colbert accused the company of bribing Trump by settling the “60 Minutes” lawsuit to help with the Skydance deal. Days after “The Late Show” was dropped, the Trump administration approved the merger.
“The fact that CBS didn’t try to save its No. 1 rated late night franchise, which has been on the air for more than three decades, is making everyone wonder: Was it ‘purely financial’? Or maybe it was the path of least resistance for your $8 billion merger to end a show you know stars a fragile and vindictive president who is so insecure that he is chronic gender inadequacy. “Stewart said in its first episode After Colbert’s cancellation was announced.
“I think the answer lies in the fear and pre-compliance that is gripping all of America’s institutions right now, institutions that have decided not to fight the vindictive and vindictive actions of our pubic hair-doodling commander in chief,” he said. “This is not the time to give up.”
Stewart, who has long spoken out against Trump and Republicans, has also openly wondered whether she or “The Daily Show” could see themselves fall out of favor in the new Ellison regime. While Ellison – the son of mega-billionaire and close Trump ally Larry Ellison – has made a new paramount shift to the right, the president has repeatedly praised the 42-year-old media mogul.
“We all have an idea about who really owns it and what his ideology is, but ideology may not play a role,” Stewart said. Said Amid fears of a Paramount-Skydance merger.
The comedian was also critical last month of Ellison’s plans to expand his media empire and acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, saying his new boss should do the same “Everything is there” And all media companies must be owned by one person. “Shouldn’t they all just be the same? Shouldn’t we get to the point where we’re all fired and hired by the same people?” He joked. “Just one man controls the entire media – what could go wrong? That’s what I say.”
However, in recent weeks, Stewart publicly mentioned that he was “Working on staying” His deal with “The Daily Show” was set to expire this December. Additionally, he also revealed that he disagrees with many of Alison’s moves.
“They’ve already done things that I’m upset about,” Stewart said at the New Yorker Festival last month. “But then if I had any integrity, maybe I would stand up and say, ‘I’m out.’ Or maybe the honest thing to do would be to stick in and keep fighting in the foxhole.
He added: “You don’t compromise in what you do, and you do it until they ask you to leave.”
Meanwhile, one factor that may have helped Paramount’s leadership decide to stick with Stewart and the current staff is the show’s consistently high ratings since his return. Comedy Central recently announced that its flagship late-night show scored its largest audience A decade among the coveted 18-49 advertising demographic.