Jon Stewart will remain at the helm of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” until December 2028, extending his role as once-a-week host until the next presidential election.
Skydance announced the two-year extension Monday, clearing up uncertainty over Stewart’s contract, which was set to expire in December.
The new deal means one of television’s most prominent critics of President Donald Trump will remain in place for the remainder of Trump’s term.
Stewart will continue to host Monday nights, an arrangement in place since January 2024, and as executive producer of the series. The satirical newspaper’s correspondents “will continue to share hosting duties Tuesday through Thursday,” Skydance said.
This is Stewart’s longest extension since returning to the program, following two successive one-year renewals.
And it’s one of the first major programming announcements from the newly expanded Skydance, which was formed earlier this month when Paramount Skydance acquired Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN.
“Jon Stewart is a generational talent and The Daily Show continues to be one of television’s most influential franchises and a cornerstone of Comedy Central,” George Cheeks, co-president and chief content officer of Skydance TV, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Jon and his award-winning news team.”
The decision to keep Stewart comes amid intense financial and political scrutiny of late-night television — including last year’s decision by former Paramount management to cancel “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
Stewart was an executive producer on his friend Colbert’s show and harshly criticized the cancellation, rejecting Paramount’s financial justification and accusing the company of kneeling before the president.
Viewers wondered at the time whether Stewart might be next to be canceled, especially given Skydance chief David Ellison’s efforts to establish close ties with the Trump administration.
Ellison hosted a dinner in the president’s honor earlier this year, and after the merger with Warner closed, Trump praised Ellison and his father, billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, as “great people.”
When Ellison was asked about Trump after the merger went into effect, Ellison pointed out that his company had relationships with politicians of both parties in the United States. “It’s important to talk to everyone on both sides of the aisle,” he said. “We don’t want to politicize.”
Stewart initially left “The Daily Show” in 2015, handing the program over to Trevor Noah, who left in December 2022. Stewart’s return in 2024 brought a familiar face back to the franchise during this presidential election cycle, and this new deal keeps him in place until the next one.
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