Comedian Jon Stewart is returning to "The Daily Show," the longtime Comedy Central satire program that made him a household name.
Stewart, who stepped down as the anchor of the show after 16 years in 2015, will host each Monday night through the 2024 election and also serve as an executive producer, the network announced on Wednesday. He will begin his tenure on Feb. 12.
"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," Chris McCarthy, President and CEO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, said in a statement.
Stewart's surprising return comes as the 2024 White House race appears to be heading towards an almost assured rematch between President Biden and former President Trump, and media progressives are already counting on him to be yet another voice against the latter as the election heats up. The left-leaning Stewart turned the "fake news" show into a cultural institution during the George W. Bush years, and many of the show's "correspondents" have gone onto become stars in their own right, such as Stephen Colbert, John Oliver and Steve Carell.
Although it was a comedy show first and foremost, it also featured serious newsmaking interviews and became an important stop for politicians and influences under his guidance. Stewart's era of "The Daily Show" was also credited with launching the rise of similar satirical media shows.
Comedian and correspondent Trevor Noah took over for Stewart in 2015 and hosted until 2022, but the show never achieved the same influence and ratings it did under his predecessor. It has featured a rotating stable of hosts since Noah's exit.
The agreement for Stewart to host shows once a week called to mind for media observers the arrangement MSNBC has with Rachel Maddow, its longtime star anchor who has only hosted on Mondays since 2022.
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Stewart’s exit in 2015 from "The Daily Show" was mourned by liberal media members and prominent Democrats like then-President Obama, as Stewart mainly focused his barbs on Republicans and the right-leaning press, although liberals and Democrats came in for floggings at times, too.
Since leaving the show, he launched an ill-fated Apple+ show, "The Problem With Jon Stewart" that never took off and was canceled after two seasons. He’s also been known for his strong advocacy for veterans, 9/11 victims and first responders.
One of his most memorable media appearances in recent years came in 2021, when he stunned his friend Colbert on "The Late Show" by endorsing the coronavirus lab-leak theory.
