The Daily Show (television program)

The Daily Show is an American late-night talk show known for its satirical and comedic take on current events. Its run time is thirty minutes with the show airing Monday through Thursday nights on the Comedy Central Network. Alongside its commentary on recent news stories, the show also features its own satirical journalism content by interviewing important figures from all over the world. Popular among young audiences, the show is among the longest-running programs on Comedy Central and has won dozens of Emmys.

The Daily Show first aired in 1996 and has featured several long-term hosts over the years. Originally focused on the pop-culture aspects of society with its first host, Craig Kilborn, the show took a sharp political turn when comedian Jon Stewart took over in 1999. Beginning with Stewart's tenure, the show has primarily focused on political and news satire, a format his successor Trevor Noah continued when he took over in 2015. In 2022 Noah announced that he was leaving his position as host of The Daily Show, and guest hosts filled in thereafter as executives sought a new permanent host. In 2024, Stewart returned on a part-time, temporary basis to host and executive produce the show.

Background

The Daily Show was created by American comedians Lizz Winstead and Madeleine Smithberg. Smithberg has previously worked as a producer for The Jon Stewart Show from 1993 to 1995 and worked as a talent coordinator for Late Night with David Letterman in the late 1980s. Winstead would also serve as a correspondent for the show. The network hired comedian Craig Kilborn to host. The show's format was similar to other late-night talk show formats, with a comedic monologue recapping the day's news headlines to kick off the night. It also featured on-location reports as well as in studio segments and debates. Several other comedians also signed on to be show correspondents, including Beth Littleford, Brian Unger, and A. Whitney Brown. The Daily Show premiered on Comedy Central on July 22, 1996.

Originally, the show focused on pop culture, with Kilborn often discussing various goings-on in the entertainment industry and frequently interviewing celebrities. Kilborn ended his interviews by engaging celebrities in a segment known as “Five Questions,” in which he asked them a series of ludicrous questions. The episodes always ended with a segment called “Your Moment of Zen,” which cut to video of various strange happenings in the world.

Kilborn became the center of controversy in 1997 following some lewd comments he made about female staff during an interview with Esquire. In response to the news, Comedy Central suspended the host without pay for one week but did not fire him. Winstead decided to leave the show during this time due to creative differences and clashes with Kilborn. Kilborn later left the show in 1998 to take over hosting duties on CBS's The Late Late Show.

Following Kilborn's departure, Comedy Central announced it had chosen comedian Jon Stewart to take over hosting duties. Stewart's first episode aired on January 11, 1999, and he remained the host of the program until 2015.

Overview

During Stewart's tenure, the tone of The Daily Show shifted. The show was retitled as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. While Stewart retained much of the show's original format, his role as producer and cowriter gave the show a less pop-culture-focused air. Stewart wanted to make his own mark on the show and brought in writers from the satirical news web site The Onion to help craft a new voice. Episodes began to focus more on politics and news stories, particularly those in which hypocrisy was evident.

The show's political content became especially important during the run-up to the 2000 presidential elections between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore. The show aired a series of special episodes featuring coverage of the election referred to as “Indecision 2000.” Their coverage earned them a wide audience and praise among viewers for their comedic take on election chaos. In 2001, the show earned its first Emmy Award for outstanding writing for a variety, music or comedy program. The show received further praise for its response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, about which Stewart delivered a heartfelt monologue lamenting the loss of American lives and monuments.

Stewart also expanded the role of his correspondents to include in-studio segments and other tasks. Correspondents were given greater control of their skits and were encouraged to work with writers and producers. Under Stewart, comedian Stephen Colbert became a fan-favorite correspondent, eventually leading Colbert to depart theDaily Show to host his own talk show The Colbert Report and later taking over hosting duties for David Letterman on CBS's The Late Show. The Daily Show continued to garner acclaim for its coverage of political happenings, particularly election coverage. It also landed a series of high-profile interviews during these periods with subjects such as Barack Obama, pulling in millions of viewers. Time magazine listed The Daily Show as one of the “100 Best TV Shows of All-Time.”

Stewart remained with the show until 2015, garnering twenty-three Emmys during his tenure. His work also earned the network a Peabody Award in 2016. Stewart's final episode featured an hour-long celebration of sorts, with previous correspondents and guests returning to honor Stewart's time as host.

The network announced Stewart would be replaced by South African comedian Trevor Noah. Although the show took a ratings hit for several months after Noah's arrival, these ratings gradually increased. Noah himself added his own personal touch to the show, leaning in to the show's millennial-heavy viewership and bringing broader international perspective to the show's social and political commentary. Under Noah, the show earned its twenty-fourth Primetime Emmy Award in 2017.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020, Noah hosted The Daily Show from his home under the title The Daily Social Distancing Show. It continued in this format until the return to in-studio production (albeit without a live audience) in 2021. Live audiences were later reimplemented in 2022.

In September of that year, Noah announced that he was leaving the Daily Show after serving as its host for seven years. At the time of Noah's announcement, the Daily Show had received sixty-four Emmy nominations throughout its broadcast history.

For more than a year after, the show was hosted by a series of guest-starring comedians, including Chelsea Handler, Leslie Jones, Hasan Minhaj, Kal Penn, Sarah Silverman, and Marlon Wayans, among others. Longtime Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr. announced his departure in October 2023, however, after having been passed over for the top post. Despite that setback, showrunners found that the new rotational format was an unexpected success, costing less to produce and attracting greater audience engagement. Jon Stewart returned to The Daily Show as Monday-night host in early 2024 and, as an executive producer, was to oversee an ongoing roster of guest hosts for the remainder of each week, at least through that year's presidential election.

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