Jon Stewart recently opened up about his future on The Daily Show, as fans have been wondering how long he will stay on for.
The famed comedian made his grand comeback to the late-night political satire show last year, months before the U.S. presidential election. While he only appears once a week, his return has helped the show in its ratings and engagement and revitalized the brand, especially amidst the political chaos that has been happening around the world.
Is Jon Stewart Staying as the Host of The Daily Show?
During an interview with The New Yorker‘s David Remnick (via Deadline), Stewart was asked whether he is planning to renew his contract to continue staying as host of The Daily Show on a weekly basis.
He confirmed that he is eyeing to stay in the series, but he also noted that the parent company has made decisions that he disagreed with.
"We’re working on staying. Look, the other thing to remember is it’s not as clear cut as all that... They’ve already done things that I’m upset about," Stewart said.
"But then if I had integrity, maybe I would stand up and go, ‘I’m out.’ Or maybe the integrity thing to do would be to stay in it and keep fighting in the foxhole. You don’t compromise on what you do, and you do it until they tell you to leave."
Stewart also opened up about the political events that have happened in the country and explained why he believes that comedians are not "the victims of this administration."
"We are a visible manifestation of certain things, but the victims are the victims are the people that are struggling to have any voice and are being forcibly removed from streets by hooded agents, those are the victims of this administration," he said.
What is the Future of Late-Night Television?
Following the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last summer, the future of other late-night shows remains intact, as none of them are expected to get canceled or end their run anytime soon.
Jimmy Kimmel Live was notably suspended for a few days last month due to controversial remarks, but it was brought back to air, and there is no indication that ABC/Disney will pull the plug permanently in the near future.
However, in an interview last August, Conan O'Brien predicted the demise of the late-night television business sooner rather than later due to the changing media landscape.
"Things are changing fast. I don’t claim to know the future of our beloved medium but I know this, getting the privilege to play around with an hour of television has been the great joy of my professional career," he said.
"We’re having this event now in a time when there’s a lot of fear about the future of television, and rightfully so. The life we’ve all known for almost 80 years is undergoing seismic change."
O'Brien continued, "But — this might just be my nature — I choose not to mourn what is lost, because I think in the most essential way what we have is not changing at all. Streaming changes the pipeline, but the connection, the talent, the ideas that come into our homes, I think it’s as potent as ever, and we have proof here tonight."
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