Comedy Central is extending Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” through 2026
Jon Stewart’s biting satire may have worried his new bosses, but they went ahead and extended the comedian’s run on Comedy Central until December 2026.
The channel’s parent company, Paramount, announced Monday that Stewart will continue to host The Daily Show on Monday nights and serve as executive producer through the end of next year.
Members of the show’s news team will continue to share hosting duties Tuesday through Thursday. The terms of the contract were not disclosed.
“Jon Stewart continues to raise the bar for the genre he created. His return is an ongoing commitment to the incisive comedy and sharp commentary that defines daily show,“We are proud to support John and his exceptional news team,” Comedy Central director Ari Pearce said in a prepared statement.
Stewart’s contract was renewed nearly four months after Paramount-owned sister network CBS notified Stephen Colbert, of The Daily Show fame, that it would abandon his late-night show at the end of the season. The cancellation was revealed days after Colbert criticized a $16 million settlement Paramount agreed to pay President Trump to end a lawsuit over edits to 60 Minutes. Colbert advocated this arrangement “A big fat squirt.”
Paramount settled a suit to get the Trump administration to approve its sale to David Ellison’s Skydance Media and RedBird Capital Partners. CBS said the reason for Colbert’s cancellation was financial rather than political, although many people expressed doubts.
Ellison took ownership of Paramount in August. Stewart joked that he, too, may fluctuate as the company tries to reposition itself at the political center.
Last week, the company began a deep round of layoffs, cutting 1,000 employees with plans to terminate 1,000 more in the coming weeks, in an effort to trim its workforce by 10%.
After a nine-year absence, Stewart returned as host in February 2024. He ran the show for 16 years before taking a break in 2015. His current contract was about to expire.
The show was hosted by Trevor Noah until 2022, when he resigned. This led to a rotation of guest hosts, including Kal Penn, Charlamagne Tha God, Sarah Silverman, and Michelle Wolf.
Last month, during a conversation with The New Yorker at a cultural festival, Stewart was asked if he could stay longer. “We’re working to survive,” Stewart told New Yorker reporter David Remnick.
“The Daily Show” host rotation will also include Ronnie Cheng, Josh Johnson, Jordan Klepper, Michael Costa and Desi Ledych, along with Troy Iwata and Grace Kohlenschmidt.