Comedy Central Makes Final Decision on Jon Stewart's 'The Daily Show'
Late-night television hosts hit a few stumbling blocks this year as CBS decided to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! in a high-profile move. That climate, combined with a pending merger, left the status of Jon Stewart's The Daily Show in question.
Stewart spoke openly about the possibility that the network might not renew his show as early as last week, but it sounds like he will be returning in 2026, after all.
'The Daily Show' Was at Risk
Given Paramount’s merger with Skydance combined with the overall climate involving late-night talk shows, Stewart's fate seemed rather uncertain over the past several weeks to the point that the late-night host even addressed his future in some comments last week.
Stewart made it clear that he was fighting to stay, as long as the network would have him.
“We’re working on staying. Look, the other thing to remember is it’s not as clear cut as all that … They’ve already done things that I’m upset about,” said Stewart, according to Deadline.
“But then if I had integrity, maybe I would stand up and go, ‘I’m out.’ Or maybe the integrity thing to do would be to stay in it and keep fighting in the foxhole,” he added.
'The Daily Show' Officially Renewed
Despite the concerns that the show could ultimately be canceled, Comedy Central officially announced on Monday that Stewart would continue to host The Daily Show on the network through 2026.
"Jon Stewart continues to elevate the genre he created. His return is an ongoing commitment to the incisive comedy and sharp commentary that define 'The Daily Show,'” Comedy Central head Ari Pearce said in a statement via NBC.
"The renewal is a win for audiences, for Comedy Central and for all our programming partners. We're proud to support Jon and the extraordinary news team," Pearce added.
Stewart himself declined to comment, with a spokesperson telling NBC that "Jon is going to save all his comments for the show tonight."