Jon Stewart Weighs ‘Daily Show’ Extension After His Emmy Win: ‘This Election Will Never End. How Could I Leave?’
Jon Stewart just won his 23rd Emmy on Sunday night — and his first in nearly a decade as part of the team on “The Daily Show.” Has the success of his once-a-week return inspired him to perhaps extend his stay with the series?
As Stewart announced at the start of the year, he planned to join “The Daily Show” as only a Monday host through this year’s election. Asked backstage whether he’d consider extending his stay with the show, Stewart quipped, he may need to: “Well, my feeling is this election will never end. So why would I? How could I leave? I won’t be allowed to leave until the election, until we’re all ground to some sort of calcified nubs. … We’re looking forward to it being awful.”
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As Variety reported upon Stewart’s return, the host was expected to play an oversight role behind the scenes, which could extend through 2025. But Stewart’s answer could give hint that the powers that be at Comedy Central and Paramount Global are pleased with the hybrid host approach to “The Daily Show,” and may want it to continue for now.
Also sharing the “Daily Show” desk this year have been correspondents including Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta, Desi Lydic and Jordan Klepper. On stage, Stewart noted that “they just kick ass” and then brought showrunner Jen Flanz up to the mic. (Flanz has been with “The Daily Show” since 1998.)
“I love this iteration of ‘The Daily Show,'” she said in the media center. “I’m very happy to have been here through so much ‘Daily Show’ history, but especially through this moment where we get to have so many different voices.”
Backstage, Stewart added, “I love the family of collaborators that we’ve built up over all these years. And you know, the nice part about tonight is coming out here and kind of seeing everybody getting back together with them.”
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