The casts of the Thursday editions of CBS Mornings and ABC’s Good Morning America could hardly contain their excitement that Jon Stewart will be returning to host Comedy Central’s The Daily Show every Monday for the rest of the year beginning February 12. CBS was admittedly “Gaga” while ABC hailed him a “trusted left-of-center conscience” for his “devoted fans.”
During a profile piece on Stewart, CBS’s Vladimir Duthiers included an interview with Chris Smith who “worked with Stewart to write an oral history of his Daily Show tenure.” Smith hyped, “By the end of Jon's time at the show he was a major player in the political conversation, and he wants to have a voice that's heard far and wide in that conversation.”
Duthiers recalled Stewart’s brief Apple TV+ show before adding “Now his return to The Daily Show includes an executive producer title, and with it a likely vision for the show's point of view with the presidential election in focus.”
That view is solidly on the left, both in Stewart’s time and since, but Smith still claimed that “Jon has always been smart enough and critical enough to poke holes in the lies and mistakes and hypocrisies on both sides.”
Back in studio Duthiers hyped Stewart’s premier because CBS and Comedy Central are both part of Paramount Global before asking the assembled co-hosts, “How excited are we?”
Gayle King declared that Stewart’s return “Couldn't come back at a better time… The beauty of him is that he doesn't play favorites. He calls everybody out when he sees fit. That’s--- and he's so smart about it.”
Duthiers agreed, “This man will have people thinking about things differently” while Dana Jacobson added “He does that so beautifully. I said this earlier, the way he uses comedy to draw people in who may not face other issues, nobody can do it like him.”
Having at least some self-awareness, King realized “As you can tell, we're kinda Gaga.” Meanwhile, Tony Dokoupil claimed “We missed him.”
The definition of “we” apparently includes ABC’s Chris Connelly who proclaimed “From 1999 onward on The Daily Show, Stewart making the Comedy Central series into a source of news whose reach and influence exceeded traditional TVs, becoming a trusted left-of-center conscience for his many devoted fans.”
At least he admitted Stewart was on the left although he tried to inflate Stewart’s non-partisan credentials by playing a clip of Stewart mocking Hillary Clinton’s “dead broke” interview.
Variety’s Brian Steinberg asserted that Stewart makes people think in a way others do not, “Jon Stewart and his correspondents really, I think, pressed viewers to be more skeptical of what they were consuming every day and every night, and to, kind of, think more carefully about how they were getting information about the world.”
Back in studio, host George Stephanopoulos recalled his time with Stewart “It was always fun, always provocative, always a great conversation and he's not afraid to go out and make waves…I hope he has me back.”
As Stewart takes over both in front of and behind the camera the number to watch is 78, that is the percentage of jokes The Daily Show directed towards conservatives in 2023. If Stewart really does go after “both sides,” that number should be quite a bit lower in 2024, but don’t hold your breath.
Here is a transcript for the January 25 shows:
CBS Mornings
1/25/2024
9:04 AM ET
CHRIS SMITH: If they were to hire somebody and get a big splash out of it, you can't top Jon Stewart coming back to The Daily Show.
VLADIMIR DUTHIERS: Journalist Chris Smith worked with Stewart to write an oral history of his Daily Show tenure.
SMITH: By the end of Jon's time at the show he was a major player in the political conversation, and he wants to have a voice that's heard far and wide in that conversation.
DUTHIERS: Stewart briefly re-entered the space in 2021 with an Apple TV+ show that ended after two seasons. Now his return to The Daily Show includes an executive producer title, and with it a likely vision for the show's point of view with the presidential election in focus.
JON STEWART [2015]: A billionaire vanity candidate taking the escalator to the White House.
SMITH: Jon has always been smart enough and critical enough to poke holes in the lies and mistakes and hypocrisies on both sides.
DUTHIERS: Be sure to see Jon Stewart's return to The Daily SHow on Monday, February 12th, on Comedy Central at 11:00 P.M. Eastern, 10:00 P.M. Central. Comedy Central, like CBS, is part of Paramount Global. How excited are we?
GAYLE KING: Couldn't come back at a better time.
DUTHIERS: I agree with that.
KING: The beauty of him is that he doesn't play favorites. He calls everybody out when he sees fit. That’s--- and he's so smart about it.
DUTHIERS: Right. Right. The landscape in television has changed quite a bit since he left. But I don't doubt his ability to effect change for people who hear his message. He's done it with 9/11 victims. He did it when he was host of the show. This man will have people thinking about things differently.
KING: Exactly.
DANA JACOBSON: He does that so beautifully. I said this earlier, the way he uses comedy to draw people in who may not face other issues, nobody can do it like him.
KING: As you can tell, we're kinda Gaga –
TONY DOKOUPIL: Only a nine-year gap in the conversation. Felt like 100 years. I'm glad he's back. We missed him.
***
ABC Good Morning America
1/25/2024
8:36 AM ET
CHRIS CONNELLY: From 1999 onward on The Daily Show, Stewart making the Comedy Central series into a source of news whose reach and influence exceeded traditional TVs, becoming a trusted left-of-center conscience for his many devoted fans.
HILLARY CLINTON: We came out of the White House not only dead broke, but in debt.
JON STEWART: I am-- I still get emotional just thinking about it.
BRIAN STEINBERG: Jon Stewart and his correspondents really, I think, pressed viewers to be more skeptical of what they were consuming every day and every night, and to, kind of, think more carefully about how they were getting information about the world.
CONNELLY: Stewart’s election year of Mondays behind the desk begins the day after the Super Bowl, February 12th. George, I was just watching some of your Daily Show appearances. What were your impressions of Jon Stewart as a host?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Yeah, I had a lot-- I was probably on a few times while he was still hosting. It was always fun, always provocative, always a great conversation and he's not afraid to go out and make waves.
MICHAEL STRAHAN: Not all.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I hope he has me back!
