Jon Stewart will remain at the desk of “The Daily Show” for two more years, keeping the satirist in place through the 2028 presidential election, Skydance Television announced Monday.
Under the renewed contract, Stewart will continue to host the flagship Comedy Central program on Monday evenings and serve as an executive producer through December 2028. The news program will maintain its current format, with a rotating ensemble of correspondents hosting Tuesdays through Thursdays, according to network announcements reported by Deadline and the New York Post.
“Jon Stewart is a generational talent and The Daily Show continues to be one of the most influential franchises on television and a cornerstone of Comedy Central,” George Cheeks, co-chair and chief content officer of Skydance TV, said in an official statement. “We are excited to continue our partnership with Jon and his award-winning news team.”
Elections and Ratings Growth
Stewart initially stepped back behind the desk on Mondays in early 2024 to steer coverage through that autumn’s national elections. While that return was planned as a temporary assignment, he previously renewed the arrangement through the end of 2026, Rolling Stone reported.
His continued presence has coincided with an audience rebound for the satirical broadcast. According to Nielsen metrics cited by the company and reported by the New York Post, the show delivered its highest third-quarter ratings in eight years. Skydance also noted that the program accumulated 1.9 billion views across its digital channels, ranking as the most-watched cable television offering on social video networks in 2026.
The program collected two Creative Arts Emmy Awards earlier this year, including a trophy for correspondent Desi Lydic in the short-form comedy or drama performance category for her segment “Desi Lydic Foxsplains.”
Along with Lydic, the weeknight hosting rotation includes Ronny Chieng, Josh Johnson, Jordan Klepper, and Michael Kosta, accompanied by correspondents Troy Iwata and Grace Kuhlenschmidt. Stewart will continue executive producing alongside showrunner Jen Flanz and longtime manager James Dixon.
Shifting Late-Night Television Landscape
The contract renewal serves as the first major late-night programming move from Skydance following Paramount’s recent corporate union with Warner Bros. Discovery, Deadline noted. That multibillion-dollar consolidation placed Stewart and former colleague John Oliver back under the same corporate umbrella, as Oliver’s “Last Week Tonight” on HBO was previously renewed through 2027.
The stability at Comedy Central arrives during a volatile era for traditional broadcast late-night lineups, according to TVLine. CBS recently concluded “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and turned its late-night broadcast windows over to producer Byron Allen under a time-buy model, airing “Comics Unleashed” followed by “Funny You Should Ask.”
At rival networks, NBC has Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers under contract through 2028. Over at ABC, host Jimmy Kimmel is working under an agreement that concludes at the end of the 2026-27 television season, with discussions underway regarding the future of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Meanwhile, HBO holds commitments for “Real Time With Bill Maher” through 2028, and “Gutfeld!” remains on Fox News on weeknights.
“The Daily Show” will continue its regular broadcast schedule at 11 p.m. Eastern time Mondays through Thursdays on Comedy Central, with full episodes becoming available for streaming on Paramount+ the following morning.
