There has been no hint of what Stewart will do next
Jon Stewart, the host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, will step down later this year, the president of the network has confirmed.
“His comedic brilliance is second to none,” said Michele Ganeless in a statement.
Stewart, who began hosting the show in 1999, will remain there until later in 2015, she said.
“He is a comic genius, generous with his time and talent, and will always be a part of the Comedy Central family.”
In 2013, he took time out to direct a film, Rosewater, about an Iranian-born journalist who was imprisoned and accused of spying.
His departure comes after the network lost another major comedy figure, Stephen Colbert, who left to take over David Letterman’s late night show on CBS.
Analysis: Nick Bryant, BBC News, New York
A late-night satirist who fused pop culture and politics, Jon Stewart has come to enjoy much the same status among younger viewers that anchors like Walter Cronkite achieved in the eyes of their grandparents.
Like the evening news shows of yore, The Daily Show has become appointment viewing, though many people catch it afterwards online, where Stewart’s riffs often become viral sensations and also enjoy a long afterlife.
Part of his appeal has come from launching stinging critiques about the sensationalist tendencies of modern-day American TV news, with the cable networks Fox News and CNN among his favourite targets.
A much-quoted online poll once showed that 44% of respondents looked upon him as the best source for trustworthy news.
In that same poll Brian Williams scored 29% – a trustworthiness ranking that the suspended NBC News anchor would probably be happy with today.
It’s a fluke of timing that Stewart has announced his departure …read more
Source:: BBC Entertainment
