Jon Stewart

[jwaggs]

Okay guys ... Here's where you can weep and gnash your teeth!

[Ron Thorne]

Jon Stewart to leave Daily Show, Comedy Central says



Barack Obama and Jon Stewart President Obama is one of many illustrious guests Jon Stewart has welcomed



10 February 2015 Last updated at 20:34 ET

Jon Stewart, the host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, will step down later this year, the president of the network has confirmed.

"His comedic brilliance is second to none," said Michele Ganeless in a statement.

Stewart, who began hosting the show in 1999, will remain there until later in 2015, she said.

"He is a comic genius, generous with his time and talent, and will always be a part of the Comedy Central family."

In 2013, he took time out to direct a film, Rosewater, about an Iranian-born journalist who was imprisoned and accused of spying.

His departure comes after the network lost another major comedy figure, Stephen Colbert, who left to take over David Letterman's late night show on CBS.

'Miss it like crazy'

Stewart's show has often been cited as a leading news source for young people, with an average audience of one million viewers.

His targets - and his guests - have been politicians and public figures, addressed in tones that are often indignant, or teasing.

The Daily Show has also been a launch pad for several well-known comic performers, including Steve Carell and John Oliver, as well as Colbert.

Comedy Central did not say what Stewart was planning to do next, or who would replace him.

In an interview with US broadcaster NPR in November, Stewart admitted that he had considered leaving The Daily Show.

"You can't just stay in the same place because it feels like you've built a nice house there, and that's really the thing I struggle with," he said.

"It is unclear to me... The minute I say I am not going to do it any more, I will miss it like crazy."


Source

[hornplayer]

imho, no one will replace him. Much as no one "replaced" John Belushi.

[moldyfigg]

The only reliable TV news have been on BBC and The Daily Show

[jwaggs]

oh, come on... get Tina Fey on there tomorrow and no one would remember Jon Stewart by Valentine's Day

[LennyH]

Can't imagine either would do it, but Tina Fey or Amy Poehler might be two of the handful that could pull it off.

[A. Kingstone]

I miss Colbert and I'll miss Stewart. Best TV available.

How about Jessica Williams for host?

[jwaggs]

I miss Colbert and I'll miss Stewart. Best TV available.

How about Jessica Williams for host?

The jazz pianist?

[A. Kingstone]

I miss Colbert and I'll miss Stewart. Best TV available.

How about Jessica Williams for host?

The jazz pianist?

No; The Daily Show regular.

[Ron Thorne]

Jessica Williams

[jwaggs]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/14/opini ... ipad-share

[ValerieB]

I am "in mourning" over Stewart's departure!

but I'm in real mourning of the unnecessary death of Bob Simon!! what a tragedy. how this driver was allowed to be employed is a travesty. I assume it's going to fall on CBS.

[BFrank]

bad week for mourning: Bob Simon, David Carr, Gary Owens (announcer and Laugh-In character) and Sam Andrews (founding member/guitarist for Big Brother)

[walto]

Jeff, am I correct that (based on one of your Brian Williams posts) that you would consider "gnashing" more appropriate if Maher were leaving the air?

[jwaggs]

Not a big fan of Maher at all, nor Brian Williams

I can appreciate those who appreciate people like Jon Stewart, but he -- IMHO -- has really done a disservice to journalism. He is a good comedian and commentator, but his success has led to the infusion of his brand of snark at many old-line news organizations. The Gray Lady is an exception, perhaps

So much of what I find in the "media" these days is reported with eyes rolling and winking. What used to be considered hard news -- news that affects real people in real ways -- is treated as joke. You see that in particular among younger journalists.

In my mind there is a real, definable difference between hard news and ridicule/schadenfreude, and people like Jon Stewart have blurred that distinction.

IMO, the pressures of "social media" and Comedy Central entertainers are driving people who want to do serious work away from news organizations. You have to find them now at places like the Marshall Project or Pro Publica.

In the long run, it's bad for our democracy.

[pig pen]

If journalists can't tell the difference between journalism and comedy I'm not sure how that's Jon Stewart's fault.

[walto]

If journalists can't tell the difference between journalism and comedy I'm not sure how that's Jon Stewart's fault.

I guess I agree with that. Stewart has always insisted that he isn't a journalist, anyhow.

[BFrank]

Samantha Bee Leaving ‘The Daily Show’ to Host TBS Series

[jwaggs]

I am not "blaming" Stewart. I realize now that I didn't make that clear in the above posts. I am saying that his influence is so great that it has warped the attitudes of "real" journalists.

The biggest influences today on journalism are the TV satirists and BuzzFeed and Twitter.

You saw that with Brian Williams, especially... he aspired to be the next Jay Leno, not the next Edward R. Murrow. He applied for Leno's job. That's what he wanted to do.

[pig pen]

Yeah, I should've guessed as much. On the other hand, I'm not so sure that the Daily Show is really the genesis of that problem. Network News was becoming overly concerned with ratings long before Jon Stewart went on the air. Mainstream journalism is really a joke.

[bluenoter]

In the New York Times (online), Monday, March 30, 2015:


Trevor Noah to Succeed Jon Stewart on 'The Daily Show'

and

Trevor Noah, New 'Daily Show' Host, Has an Earnest and Comedic Profile on Twitter and YouTube (not the NYT's finest headline)
 

[Ron Thorne]

Yeah, I should've guessed as much. On the other hand, I'm not so sure that the Daily Show is really the genesis of that problem. Network News was becoming overly concerned with ratings long before Jon Stewart went on the air. Mainstream journalism is really a joke.

I agree.

[Ron Thorne]

Sad to say that tonight brings the end of an era ... the final Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Tonight's show will be :50 mins. in length and should not be missed.

Patti & I, along with many family members, have been loyal fans of this funny, irreverent, insightful & smart show since its inception. We'll miss the show terribly, and Jon's role in it, of course. He's irreplaceable, but we'll tune in and give his successor a fair try. We owe that to ourselves and Jon.

Damn he was good!

[Ron Thorne]

Last night's final show was quite amazing! John's moment of zen was perfect.

You can see the final episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as well as full episodes of 17 other recent shows on Comedy Central's website.

[jtx]

I was happy to see him and Wyatt Cenac reunite and apparently put their fallout behind them. And all of the other correspondents who came back made for a great final tribute to the show as it was for the past 16 years. With so many changes in the late night landscape in recent times, I am hoping that from all of this at least The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will be worth watching.