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cnn
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Jon Stewart returns to “The Daily Show.”
The comedian, who during his 16 years as host of the Comedy Central show established it as a cultural and entertainment force, will return to hosting the show each week on Mondays beginning Feb. 12, Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios announced Wednesday.
Stewart, who returns as the 2024 presidential election season heats up, will also executive produce the show and work with a rotating lineup of comedians who will run the show the rest of the week, Tuesday through Thursday.
“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 understand the madness and division shaking the country as we enter the election season,” Chris McCarthy said. the CEO of Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios said in a statement.
“In our era of staggering hypocrisy and performative politics,” McCarthy added, “Jon is the perfect person to debunk empty rhetoric and provide much-needed clarity with his brilliant wit.”
Stewart won praise as host of “The Daily Show” for his sharp humor, which was deployed to deliver biting (and hilarious) monologues often intended to expose the hypocrisy of politicians.
With the 2024 election starring Joe Biden and Donald Trump, Stewart will likely have no shortage of material to work with. Stewart has been a vocal critic of Trump and will no doubt use the platform to irritate the former president.
Stewart’s return to the venerable program is sure to generate significant excitement and provide a much-needed boost to the program, which has struggled to find its footing as of late.
After leaving “The Daily Show” in 2015, Stewart signed a deal with Apple to host a show for the tech company’s nascent streaming service. But that program came to an abrupt end last year. Stewart told staff at the time that he had become frustrated by the control the Silicon Valley giant wanted to exert over the show’s subject matter and its guest list.
Convincing Stewart to return to “The Daily Show” is a huge accomplishment for Comedy Central. While Trevor Noah received critical praise for hosting the show after Stewart’s departure, he never had the same cultural impact that he did under Stewart’s direction.
Stewart’s poaching is also a win for Paramount Global, which has been trying to breathe life into its Paramount+ streaming service. Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios, which is responsible for much of the streamer’s content library, said episodes featuring Stewart will be available on the platform the day after they air on Comedy Central.