Paramount has renewed Jon Stewart’s deal to continue hosting Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” once a week through the 2026 midterms, resolving months of speculation about the media company’s plans for the late-night show.
Comedy Central said Monday that the show’s correspondents will continue to take turns hosting Tuesdays through Thursdays while Stewart hosts on Mondays.
Stewart originally returned to his old show in 2024 — after first hosting from 1999 until 2015 — saying he wanted a platform to “unload thoughts as we get into this election season.”
He still had plenty to say after President Trump returned to office in January, and he remained a reliable ratings magnet.
However, fans began to worry about his future at Comedy Central when Paramount went through a protracted merger process and made several concessions to the Trump administration.
In July, CBS, a corporate sibling of Comedy Central, cancelled “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” leading many, including Stewart, a friend of Colbert’s and a producer of “The Late Show,” to question the stated rationale.
“Was this purely financial?” Stewart asked in a scathing monologue. “Or maybe the path of least resistance for your $8 billion merger was killing a show that you know rankled a fragile and vengeful president.”
Media analysts noted at the time that Stewart’s contract at “The Daily Show” was expiring at the end of the year.
New owners took charge of Paramount in August and signaled hopes to revitalize cable channels like Comedy Central, while cutting costs at the same time.
Disney’s decision in September to suspend ABC late-night star Jimmy Kimmel amid pressure from the Trump administration furthered questions about the entire late-night TV landscape.
In an on-stage interview last week with Stewart, The New Yorker editor David Remnick brought up widespread perceptions of media moguls capitulating to President Trump and asked about Stewart’s status.
“We’re working on staying,” Stewart responded.
Now the deal is done, according to Monday’s press release from Paramount. Stewart will continue hosting and executive producing the show through December 2026.
Ari Pearce, head of Comedy Central, said in a statement that Stewart’s return “is an ongoing commitment to the incisive comedy and sharp commentary that define The Daily Show.”
He added, “We’re proud to support Jon and the extraordinary news team.”
Stewart’s position was clear. He had “more or less laid down his gauntlet about his intention not to cave as so many other media companies, law firms, and academic institutions have under bullying from Washington,” wrote Bill Carter, the author of two books about late-night TV.
