Jon Stewart

Comedian Television Show Host

• Born: November 28, 1962
• Place of Birth: New York, New York

POLITICAL SATIRIST, ACTOR, AND WRITER

A comedian turned influential commentator, Stewart offered biting political satire and skepticism about the news media during his long run as the host of The Daily Show.

AREAS OF ACHIEVEMENT: Entertainment; government and politics; journalism

Early Life

Jon Stewart was born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz to Don and Marian Leibowitz. Stewart was the younger of two brothers in a well-educated, middle-class Jewish family, and he grew up in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. His mother was a teacher and educational consultant, and his father was a physicist. Stewart’s early childhood was guided by the principles of his Jewish heritage; he attended yeshiva kindergarten and later attended public schools. At Lawrence High School, he was accomplished on the soccer team. It was during this time that he became attuned to the environment and the political issues of the day. Upon graduating from Lawrence in 1980, Stewart attended William and Mary College, majoring in psychology, and he excelled on the soccer team. While he was in college, his interest in politics increased, as he cast a critical eye on the Ronald Reagan administration.

After graduating in 1984, Stewart took a variety of odd jobs until deciding to try comedy; he made his debut at the Bitter End in Greenwich Village (where his idol Woody Allen had once performed) in New York City in 1987. At this point, he changed his last name from Leibowitz to Stewart. He later became a regular at the Comedy Cellar in New York City.

Life’s Work

Over the course of his professional career, Stewart has evolved from a relatively obscure stand-up comedian into an influential political satirist and media critic. His views have changed how the younger generation thinks about politics and news media. He has worn the hats of comedian, actor, writer, and television host. He hosted his own show on the Music Television (MTV) network in 1993, which lasted a couple of seasons. He had occasional acting roles during the 1990s.

His ventures into writing include a collection of humorous satirical essays, Naked Pictures of Famous People (1998), which made the New York Times list of bestsellers. He also published a commentary on the news media and the American political system disguised as a mock history textbook, America (The Book): A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction (2004), which became a bestseller. In 2010, Stewart published Earth (The Book): A Visitor’s Guide to the Human Race, a humorous look at the accomplishments of the human race, told without journalistic integrity or accuracy.

Stewart’s major opportunity came in 1998, when he was asked to take over Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. Stewart took the show in a new direction, making it a platform for his critiques on the current state of politics and bias in the news media and lampooning much of the “real news.”

Using the format of a serious news program, Stewart and his crew revealed just how misinformed the American public is on politics and news represented by the mainstream media. Described by Stewart as “fake news,” his monologues pointed out the irony in the content of the news programming being broadcast to the American public. As the show became established, it garnered a large share of the viewing audience in the thirty-and-under demographic and sparked an interest in political issues in the United States and abroad. As Stewart’s “fake news” show began to be taken more seriously, Stewart interviewed more powerful figures in the realm of politics and the news media. Presidential candidates and important television news journalists appeared on the show. Some political candidates even announced their formal decision to run for office on his show. Eventually, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart became known for its profound honesty in giving Americans the real news in the guise of satire. Stewart played a key role in the show’s success with his humorous yet frank exploration of the foibles of politics and of television journalism.

In 2013, Stewart announced that he would be taking a twelve-week hiatus from the show in order to direct a film adaptation of the book Then They Came for Me (2010), by Maziar Bahari and Aimee Molloy. Bahari is a journalist who was detained while covering a story about violence against protestors that took place during Iran's elections in 2009. The film, titled Rosewater, was released to the public in late 2014 and received largely positive critical response.

Two years later, in February 2015, Stewart announced during a taping of the Daily Show that he would be retiring as host that year. Citing a desire to spend more time with his family, Stewart also explained to the media that he had grown dissatisfied with reporting on the country's redundant political process. His announcement was met largely with expressions of mourning from both viewers and media outlets, symbolizing the extent of the role that he had played in representing liberalism in the United States. He sat behind the Daily Show desk for the final time on August 6, 2015; the show was longer than usual and included appearances from both past and present correspondents. Over his time at the helm, Stewart and the show earned twenty-three Emmy Awards and sixty nominations. South African comedian Trevor Noah was announced as Stewart's replacement in March, and he had his first show as host in September. Noah's turn as host garnered mixed reviews from both critics and fans.

By November 2015, Stewart had signed a new, four-year contract with cable network HBO to produce short-form digital content for its streaming services. After the show's premiere was delayed several times, HBO and Stewart announced in 2017 that it had been canceled. They also announced that Stewart would instead be headlining two comedy specials for HBO. The same year, he hosted HBO’s comedy benefit show Night of Too Many Stars. In 2018, Stewart joined comedian Dave Chappelle on a tour.

After his departure from the Daily Show, Stewart stayed mostly out of the public eye and dedicated more time to charities, such as the Bob Woodruff Foundation. In 2019, he drew attention for making disparaging remarks about two senators after they blocked the reauthorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. Stewart's vocal support of the bill eventually helped sway Congress to reauthorize the fund until 2090, and he was awarded the New York City Bronze Medallion for his efforts. He later advocated for the passing of the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022.

In 2021, Stewart made a return to television as he began hosting a new series called The Problem with Jon Stewart on the Apple TV+ streaming service. The show, which was billed as a more in-depth version of the Daily Show with each episode covering a single topic, debuted on September 30 to mixed reviews. It ran for two seasons before being canceled in 2023. In February 2024, Stewart returned to The Daily Show as the Monday guest host. He also became an executive producer of the show.

Stewart has received numerous awards and been nominated for multiple awards as a writer, producer, and host. In 2024, he was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards for outstanding short form nonfiction or reality, outstanding writing for a variety series, and outstanding talk series for The Daily Show and for outstanding talk series for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He already had twenty-three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, seven Producers Guild of America awards, a Writers Guild of America award, and the 2022 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Significance

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart was a significant influence in transforming a largely apathetic young television-viewing generation into a group of critical consumers of the words of politicians and journalists in the mass media. Stewart is well aware, as are many intelligent comedians, that humor is the best vehicle for provoking thoughtful inquiry and potential social change. In a 2007 interview with renowned PBS journalist Bill Moyers, Stewart referred to his show as more of an “editorial cartoon” on the political climate of the time. While Stewart rejects the label of journalist and downplays any notion of the show being perceived as serious journalism, his unwavering dedication to presenting the truth in news coverage and political action (or inaction) made him a man held in high regard. He acquired the title of “the most trusted man in America,” with its sarcastic and sincere implications.

During Stewart’s journey from stand-up comedian to well-respected political commentator and news critic, he never forgot his Jewish heritage. His comedic influences, such as actor-director Woody Allen and comic Lenny Bruce, represent a legacy of Jewish humorists. Stewart frequently injected his own brand of self-conscious Jewish humor in his monologue on The Daily Show.

Bibliography

Baym, Geoffrey. From Cronkite to Colbert: The Evolution of Broadcast News. Paradigm, 2010.

Cassino, Dan, and Yasemin Besen-Cassino. Consuming Politics: Jon Stewart, Branding, and the Youth Vote in America. Fairleigh Dickinson UP, 2009.

Egner, Jeremy. "'Now Where Was I?’ Jon Stewart Is Back in His Old ‘Daily Show’ Seat." The New York Times, 13 Feb. 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/02/13/arts/television/jon-stewart-daily-show.html. Accessed 29 May 2024.

Freeman, Hadley. “Jon Stewart: Why I Quit the Daily Show.” The Guardian, 18 Apr. 2015, www.theguardian.com/media/2015/apr/18/jon-stewart-why-i-quit-the-daily-show. Accessed 29 May 2024.

Gillick, Jeremy, and Nonna Gorilovskaya. “Meet Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz (Aka Jon Stewart), the Wildly Zeitgeisty Daily Show Host.” Moment, Nov.–Dec. 2008.

Gold, Michael. "How Jon Stewart Became a Fierce Advocate for 9/11 Responders." The New York Times, 12 June 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/06/12/nyregion/jon-stewart-9-11-congress.html. Accessed 29 May 2024.

Hamm, Theodore. The New Blue Media: How Michael Moore, MoveOn.Org, Jon Stewart, and Company Are Transforming Progressive Politics. New Press, 2008.

Holt, Jason, ed. The Daily Show and Philosophy: Moments of Zen in the Art of Fake News. Blackwell, 2007.

Rose, Lacey. “Jon Stewart Isn’t Laughing.” The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Sept. 2021, www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/jon-stewart-thr-cover-story-interview-1235013623/. Accessed 29 May 2024.

Stewart, Jon, Ben Karlin, and David Javerbaum. America (The Book): A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction. Warner, 2004.