Jon Stewart returning to host ‘The Daily Show’ on Mondays

Viewers and fans of “The Daily Show” will get to see Jon Stewart host once again, as Stewart will return to host weekly for the Comedy Central program starting on Monday, Feb. 12.

Stewart, who had previously hosted the show from 1996 to 2015, will be hosting every Monday for the 2024 election and will continue as an executive producer for every episode this year and the following year, per NBC News.

During the rest of the week, according to Today, hosting duties will be covered by a rotating group of news correspondents.

According to USA Today, this news comes over a year after Trevor Noah ended his seven-year run with “The Daily Show,” leaving the program without a feature host.

In the meantime, the show has utilized several guest hosts, including Sarah Silverman and Hasan Minhaj — the latter of which was reported as a future candidate for the show until controversy arose from allegations that Minhaj was dishonest in his standup comedy, per USA Today.

What’s been stated about the announcement

Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios CEO and President Chris McCarthy shared in a statement some kinds words about Stewart, per USA Today:

“Jon 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 make sense of the insanity and division roiling the country as we enter the election season.”

Jon Stewart, in addition, comically expressed his announcement on X.

“Friends. After much reflection I have decided to enter the transfer portal for my last year of eligibility. Excited for the future! 5’7” ish. 165. 14.8 second 40.”

Where has Jon Stewart been since he left?

Stewart left “The Daily Show” back in 2015, handing off the popular late-night show to then-31-year-old comedian Trevor Noah, per Time.

Despite his leave, Stewart has spoken fondly of the program.

“When you lose that structure, you’re untethered from the thing that prevents the bad mind from doing its corrupt best,” said Stewart, as reported by The Associated Press. “It goes south and dark really fast.”

He clarified, “It’s not like I thought the show wasn’t working any more, or that I didn’t know how to do it. It was more, ‘Yup, it’s working. But I’m not getting the same satisfaction.’”

According to NBC News, Stewart in 2021 launched and hosted his own Apple TV comedy show, “The Problem With Jon Stewart,” but it was cancelled by the streaming service after two seasons.

Stewart since his departure has also been an outspoken candidate and philanthropist, and has lobbied for health care benefits for 9/11 first responders and veterans, according to CNBC.