EXCLUSIVE: A surprised John Oliver reacts to Jon Stewart’s return to ‘The Daily Show’

Many were surprised to learn that Jon Stewart will return to host “The Daily Show” after stepping away from the late-night show in 2015 — including his longtime friend and fellow political commentator John Oliver.

On Jan. 24, Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, confirmed Stewart will reclaim his spot behind “The Daily Show” desk on Monday nights, starting Feb. 12. During the rest of the week, a group of rotating news correspondents will cover the hosting duties.

Stewart is expected to lead the show for the remainder of the current election cycle and serve as an executive producer. He plans to stay on as an EP next year, too.

Oliver heard about the announcement shortly after the news broke while sitting down with Sunday TODAY’s Willie Geist for an upcoming interview.

When Willie relayed the information about Stewart, the host of “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” was shocked.

"I mean, that’s, that is a surprise," Oliver said. "That’s a show that needs a host. He certainly is a very, very good one. So yeah, it’ll be exciting to see what he does."

He continued, "I do think after 2025 they should appoint a permanent host."

Oliver said he would have hired Roy Wood Jr., who was correspondent on the show from 2015 until 2023 and hosted a few episodes in April 2023, or Amber Ruffin, host of "The Amber Ruffin Show" and a writer for "Late Night with Seth Meyers."

"But it’s going to be very exciting to see Jon again in an election year, as well. That is watchable," he playfully said.

Willie said, "Back in for another bite at the apple."

Oliver replied, "Yeah, Jordan's back," referencing the huge cultural moment in 1995 when Michael Jordan announced he was returning to the Chicago Bulls after previously retiring.

The full interview will air on Feb. 18.

Oliver was the senior British correspondent on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” from 2006 to 2013 and earned three Emmy Awards for his writing contributions to the show.

He then briefly hosted the show for eight weeks in the summer of 2013 when Stewart stepped away to work on a film.

After his short run, he landed the role as the host of his own satirical news program on HBO the following year. “Last Week Tonight” launched in April 2014 and will return for its 11th season Feb. 18.

During an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2015, Oliver praised Stewart for being “an influential presence” in his life.

“It’s hard to overstate — I wouldn’t be sitting in this country if it wasn’t for him, you know? I left the country for him, so I think I have a slightly different relationship to him — in my own head, at least — compared to Americans who’ve worked there before. I left my country for that man. I don’t live in the country I was born in because I wanted to work with him,” he shared at the time.

In December, “Last Week Tonight” was renewed through 2026, which means viewers will enjoy commentary from both Oliver and Stewart during the 2024 election cycle.

Stewart previously hosted “The Daily Show” from 1999 to 2015, winning 24 Emmys and three Peabodys during his run. Many famous faces, like Stephen Colbert, Samantha Bee, Trevor Noah, Michael Che, Hasan Minhaj, Steve Carell, Jessica Williams and Oliver, appeared as correspondents alongside Stewart before launching their own successful careers elsewhere.

After being the face of the show for 16 years, Stewart stepped away and was replaced by Noah, who departed in 2022. Since then, the cable show has been testing out guest hosts.

With Stewart’s Apple TV+ series, “The Problem with Jon Stewart,” getting canceled in October, Variety reported, the commentator was suddenly available.

The 61-year-old joked about his upcoming return in a tweet, comparing his news to a college athlete switching schools.

“Friends. After much reflection I have decided to enter the transfer portal for my last year of eligibility. Excited for the future!” he wrote on X.

“The Daily Show” official X account posted a picture of Stewart back on the set of the show with his feet on the desk.

“Here it is, your Moment of Zen,” the tweet said.

After confirming the announcement, McCarthy said in a statement, “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.”

He added, “In our age of staggering hypocrisy and performative politics, Jon is the perfect person to puncture the empty rhetoric and provide much-needed clarity with his brilliant wit.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com