Jon Stewart returns to ‘The Daily Show’ — but only on Mondays

Jon Stewart is returning to “The Daily Show” — but only on Mondays.

The comedian helmed the Comedy Central talk show between 1999 and 2015, before passing the torch to South African comedian Trevor Noah. Noah departed the show in late 2022, and the program has cycled through a slew of guest hosts over the past year, but never settled on a single replacement.

Stewart will serve as “The Daily Show” host on Mondays starting Feb. 12, and appear at least through the 2024 election cycle. The rest of the week will feature a rotating cast of show regulars.

Stewart’s return comes as Paramount, Comedy Central’s owner, seeks to keep the signature series afloat at the network, especially during an election year, as Stewart’s political commentary has often thrived in the past.

The economics of late-night TV have weakened in recent years, as advertisers flee the linear space. Audiences, too, have gravitated toward streaming video and often watch these programs online via YouTube the day after they run.

“Jon Stewart is the voice of our generation, and we are honored to have him return to Comedy Central’s ‘The Daily Show’ to help us all make sense of the insanity and division roiling the country as we enter the election season,” Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios, said in a statement Wednesday. “In our age of staggering hypocrisy and performative politics, Jon is the perfect person to puncture the empty rhetoric and provide much-needed clarity with his brilliant wit.”

Since his 2015 exit from “The Daily Show,” Stewart has kept busy as the executive producer of CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and weekly spots on Apple’s streaming service via his show “The Problem with Jon Stewart,” which was recently canceled.

Stewart is also an avid philanthropist and has lobbied for health-care benefits for veterans and 9/11 first responders.

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