Paramount didn’t want to keep Stephen Colbert at CBS, but the company signed Jon Stewart to host “The Daily Show” once a week on Comedy Central for another year.
The company announced Monday that Stewart will continue as executive producer of the series through December 2026, while the show’s contributors will take the helm of the late-night show Tuesday through Thursday.
“Jon Stewart continues to elevate the genre he created, and his return is a continued commitment to the sharp comedy and incisive commentary that define ‘The Daily Show,'” Comedy Centra head Ari Pearce said in a statement. “This renewal is a win for our viewers, Comedy Central and all of our programming partners. We’re proud to support John and his exceptional reporting team.”
Mr. Stewart’s renewal comes at a difficult time for late-night television. Paramount-owned CBS has been looking to move away from the format, shocking the industry earlier this year by announcing its intention to end Colbert’s “Late Show” next May. Disney recently canceled Jimmy Kimmel’s ABC show “Jimmy Kimmel Live” for several days after two of the country’s biggest television station owners threatened to pull his ABC show from airing because of his monologue.
Late-night shows are facing a decline in their traditional viewership, with viewers increasingly able to watch clips of shows the next day via social media rather than staying up late to watch them live. The show also came under intense scrutiny during President Trump’s two terms, with many of the hosts using dry humor to harshly criticize various White House policies and statements.
“The Daily Show” may have become more attractive due to a review of Paramount’s cost structure. The show doesn’t rely on a single host, but Stewart, who left the show in 2015 and returned in 2024, has gotten a lot of attention. Stewart will only host on Mondays, while the motley “news team” of Ronnie Chen, Josh Johnson, Jordan Klepper, Michael Costa, Desi Riddich, Troy Iwata and Grace Kuhlenschmidt will take on most of the screen duties on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. In some cases, events may be held on other days of the week.
The show was one of the few original series on the network, which may have further supported that claim. In the past, advertisers had to buy larger packages of Comedy Central’s commercial inventory to get the “Daily” slot, according to people familiar with the matter. In other words, “The Daily Show” has served as an economic force for Paramount’s cable properties, even as it has suffered viewership declines in the streaming era.
Stewart will continue as an executive producer, working alongside showrunner and executive producer Jen Frantz and manager James Dixon, who will also serve as a producer on the series.
