Jon Stewart Returns to The Daily Show as Temporary Host Transcript

Welcome to The Daily Show, my name is Jon Stewart.

Longtime viewers of The Daily Show will soon see a familiar face back in the hosting chair. Jon Stewart is set to officially return to the satirical news show for its upcoming 29th season, NBC News reports. The Daily Show’s IG account seemingly confirms the news, posting a pic of Jon behind the News Desk, January 24th, writing, “Here it is, your Moment of Zen.” This announcement comes after more than a year of Comedy Central looking for a new full-time host to take over since Trevor Noah’s departure. Trevor, who just took home an Emmy for the show, exited back in 2022, after hosting for seven years.

And I realized that, after the seven years, my time is up. Yeah, but in the most beautiful way, honestly. I’ve loved hosting this show. It’s been one of my greatest challenges. It’s been one of my greatest joys. I’ve loved trying to figure out how to make people laugh, even when the stories are particularly (beep) on the worst days. We’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together. But after seven years, I feel like it’s time.

The South African comedian landed the gig when Jon left in 2015, after hosting the show for almost 20 years.

In my heart, I know it is time for someone else to have that opportunity.

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It’s been an absolute privilege. It’s been the honor of my professional life. And I thank you for watching it.

And many are already reacting to the news of Jon returning to the place where his TV career really took off. Fellow late-night TV host, Jimmy Kimmel, posted a throwback pic of John, captioning it, “Welcome back J Stew. We missed you.” Actor, Josh Gad, who worked on The Daily Show with Jon from 2019 to 2011, posted a selfie of the two of them, writing, “My old boss is returning to The Daily Show! Are you kidding?! All is right in the world.” The Frozen actor then shares that he would be open to returning as well, saying, “I will happily dust off my old suit and return as a guest correspondent for this man.” And as exciting as his comeback is, it turns out Jon’s return is only temporary. According to NBC, the 61-year-old will host Monday nights through the presidential election. And then will continue on as executive producer for the rest of 2024 and 2025. Per a news release from Comedy Central, on the rest of the days that Jon is not hosting, The Daily Show will continue to rely on a team of rotating correspondents.

Welcome to The Daily Show, my name is Jon Stewart.