Jon Stewart is returning to host “The Daily Show” for one day per week through the election, a source confirmed to ABC News.
The news of Stewart’s return to hosting the show, which will begin Feb. 12, was later confirmed by SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios.
Stewart will also take on the role of executive producer “to Shape Next Chapter of the Franchise,” according to a press release.
“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/MTV Entertainment Studios, said in a statement. “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.”
Jon Stewart attends 2023 Night of Too Many Stars benefiting NEXT for AUTISM at Beacon Theatre on December 11, 2023 in New York City.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
Stewart left “The Daily Show” in 2015 after 16 years in the hosting role.
The comedian took on the role in 1999, using wit and humor to present news in an entertaining manner that engaged a wide audience through historic events spanning the Sept. 11 terror attacks and war in the Middle East.
In more recent years, Stewart has advocated for health care funding for Sept. 11 first responders and pushed to pass the PACT Act, a law which expands benefits to veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits while serving in the military, which was signed into law in August 2022.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.