McSTREAMY.COM (02/11/2015) – The man who has been affectionately credited with having the best fake news show on television, Jon Stewart, will leave The Daily Show on Comedy Central later this year. He says the program and its audience does not deserve a restless host.
52 year old Jon Stewart (giggling on camera in above photo) started as a stand-up comedian, but branched into television as host of some early shows on Comedy Central and MTV before becoming the host of The Daily Show in 1999 after the original host, Craig Kilborn, left The Daily Show to replace Tom Snyder on The Late, Late Show, following Dave Letterman’s Late Show on CBS-TV. (Craig Kilborn was replaced by Craig Furgeson on The Late, Late Show five years later, in 2005, after Kilborn announced he was leaving that show.)
Stewart is also a writer and co-executive producer of the The Daily Show. With Stewart as the headliner, The Daily Show steadily gained popularity and critical acclaim, resulting in nineteen Emmy Awards since he took over the program, up until his announcement that he plans on leaving the show to pursue other interests.
Although Stewart and the show’s writers point at the news of the day and, largely poke holes in the often weird things that politicians actually say and do, the humorous explanations and asides, have educated people about the news, perhaps, better than any other TV show, ever. The irony is, it’s a comedy show on the Comedy Central Channel, but, outstandingly, illustrates, with humor, just how absurd some politicians, their views, and the political scene really is at times.
Jon Stewart and The Daily Show received critical acclaim from the start.
Recent studies and polling by news media and an independent research company found that up to 12 percent of respondents said they get their political news from The Daily Show.
Some of the reasons people watch The Daily Show is, possibly, because of the terrific belly laughs, smiles that light up a person’s eyes, giggles, and the light bulbs that sometimes, suddenly appear above the viewer’s head as they watch the show. It can be comforting to know that you suddenly understand the silliness that happened in or out of Congress that day, was, indeed, unbelievably, bone headed.
The fact is, The Daily Show, is much more than a, so-called, “fake news” show. The way the show is presented, Jon Stewart introduces video clips of politicians and media “real news” personalities saying and doing sometimes ridiculous things, then explains in funny terms just how idiotic what you just saw and heard is. During extremely sad days following serious events, Stewart has been known to depart from comedy to reflect upon the event in somber terms. So, yes, it is much more than a so-called “fake news” show.
John Oliver
The thing that makes The Daily Show so addictive, is not just the great funny stuff that emerges surrounding the news of the day, it’s the personality and earnest delivery of the show’s host, Jon Stewart. In recent memory, only John Oliver has successfully filled in for Stewart when Stewart took some time off to produce a movie overseas. That lengthy, critic acclaimed, temporary hosting assignment, gained John Oliver support for a similar type show on another cable channel. But, Oliver, though an appreciated talent in his own right, is not Jon Stewart.
That brings about the question: Can The Daily Show survive after Jon Stewart leaves, sometime later this year? Stewart says the show will continue on without him in the driver’s seat, but is that really possible? Will the audience stick with The Daily Show after experiencing the superb talent of Jon Stewart at the helm for nearly 17 years?
Stewart says he has no plans to announce what he will do in the future, except, to eat as many meals as possible with his family around the dinner table during school nights. One thing is for sure, anyone of his stature who says he is, “restless”, will likely return to the spotlight with other projects down the road.
Or, maybe he’s just getting a strong, early case of Spring Fever.
