A pop culture snark-fest under its original host, Craig Kilborn, “The Daily Show” evolved into a topical satire after Stewart took over in 1999, and it became a news source for parts of its audience. even though Stewart stated that his primary goal was to entertain, not inform. It was also a prolific talent incubator: alumni including Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Samantha Bee and Hasan Minhaj hosted their own shows. Others such as Steve Carell, Ed Helms, and Jessica Williams found success in Hollywood.
It was another former “Daily Show” correspondent, Noah, who succeeded Stewart as host. But the show’s ratings and profile declined, part of a general decline in the cultural relevance of late-night shows in the streaming era. Additionally, Stewart’s own post-“Daily Show” professional efforts have been lackluster. A deal to develop a topical animated show for HBO went nowhere, and his talk show for Apple TV+, “The Problem with Jon Stewart,” ended last year after 20 episodes when Stewart and Apple executives clashed over the show’s creative direction. But they disagreed.
What was probably a subtle reference to Stewart’s previous job at “The Daily Show” on Monday nights. “We have a lot we’re going to talk about this year,” he said. “Obviously, the election, maybe we’ll talk about China, maybe we’ll talk about AI, maybe something lighter, about Israel-Palestine.” Artificial intelligence and China were two topics that created conflict in “The Problem”.
Other than generating a few viral interview clips and receiving an Emmy nomination for outstanding variety talk series last year, “The Problem” never received much attention. In a twist, that award went to “The Daily Show”, the only time the Noah edition won. Stewart’s “Daily Show” won the award for Outstanding Variety Series 10 consecutive times from 2003 to 2012.
In an interview on “CBS Mornings” on Monday, Stewart said he was returning to “The Daily Show” because he wanted a platform during the election.
