THE VERDICT

Jon Stewart Makes Major Announcement on His Future on ‘The Daily Show’

The outspoken comedian has repeatedly taken aim at his new billionaire boss—and wondered whether it might cost him his job.

Comedy Central is keeping Jon Stewart around, despite his disdain for Paramount’s new owner, David Ellison.

The Trumpy billionaire acquired Paramount last August and gobbled up Warner Bros. earlier this month, despite outcry from industry leaders and lawmakers.

Comedy Central has now announced that Stewart will remain behind The Daily Show desk every Monday through 2028, and will continue to executive produce the show.

“Stewart will continue to host alongside The Daily Show’s News Team, including Ronny Chieng, Josh Johnson, Jordan Klepper, Michael Kosta, and Desi Lydic with Troy Iwata and Grace Kuhlenschmid,” the company told the Daily Beast, touting the show’s growing reach: “The Daily Show recently hit an eight-year Q3 viewership high,” and hit new benchmarks online, “ranking number one as the most-viewed cable program across social media in 2026.”

Last October on his Weekly Show podcast, Stewart joked that his new boss should “have it all,” as Skydance set its sights on Warner Bros. just after its controversial Paramount takeover.

“My guy should have it all. He should be the leader of all… Why are there other media companies? Shouldn’t they all just be one? Shouldn’t we get to a point where we’re all just fired and hired by the same guy?” he quipped sarcastically. “Just one guy controls all of the media—what could go wrong?”

Just before the merger, Stewart revealed that he wasn’t sure whether he would be shown the door. Trump nemesis Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show was axed days before the deal was solidified, in what critics called a fealty move, as Trump’s administration had to approve the merger. Paramount insists the decision to ax the show was “purely financial.”

“They haven’t called me and said like, ‘Don’t get too comfortable in that office, Stewart,’” he joked at the time, “but let me tell you something, I’ve been kicked out of sh--tier establishments than that. We’ll land on our feet.”

In August, Semafor reported that The Daily Show and South Park are the two properties that Paramount executives believe keep them relevant on social media.

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Stewart told The New Yorker’s David Remnick last year that he has some inner conflict about remaining with Paramount, considering Ellison’s relationship with Trump. “They’ve already done things that I’m upset about,” he said at the time.

“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.” He added, “You don’t compromise on what you do, and you do it until they tell you to leave.”

Skydance TV’s Chief Content Officer George Cheeks said in a statement, “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. We are excited to continue our partnership with Jon and his award-winning news team.”

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Eboni Boykin-PattersonEntertainment Reporter

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