Jon Stewart opened his final episode hosting The Daily Show Thursday night with a nod to-what else-the news. But Stewart hit back, saying he has regularly criticised the actions of the President and would continue to do so regardless of any meetings between the two. And John Oliver got his start thanks to Stewart too; people thought he’d take over the show someday, until HBO came calling.
On Wednesday’s penultimate show, Stewart said he his crew had built a “monument to evisceration” and that they had left “no target undisembowled”. Carell said that “becoming an worldwide superstar is just something I did while awaiting my next assignment”.
Armed with a razor-sharp wit and research team adept at finding video evidence of hypocrisy or unintentional comedy among the nation’s establishment, Stewart turned a sleepy basic-cable entertainment show into a powerful cultural platform. “It will be quick if you just hold still”. Among the highlights and surprises included all of the show’s former correspondents returning, a performance by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Stewart’s closing monologue and, of course, the final moment of zen.
As he faces the end of his career, he’s beginning to wonder: ‘Is this as popular as I’m ever going to get? Stewart never passed up a chance to make fun of the fast-food chain, and one of the ads showed a series of the comedian’s insults, along with the song “Thank You For Being A Friend”.
In a welcome display of sportsmanship, original “Daily Show” host Craig Kilborn joked that his successor’s exit was simply inevitable. He’s exhausted of the daily grind and ready for a break, she said, but “I know for sure we have not seen the last of Jon Stewart“. “I actually think he doesn’t dislike me”.
Stewart, a stand up comedian who last year released his first movie – the political drama “Rosewater” – has given few clues as to what he will do next.
The program’s new host, Trevor Noah, attended the finale’s taping, but for many, the show will always belong to Stewart. “Whenever something is titled freedom, family, fairness, health or America”, he said, “take a good long sniff, chances are it may have been made in a factory containing traces of (bull)”.
Fresh Air pays tribute to Stewart’s tenure on The Daily Show with pieces from four different interviews since 2000, including a 2006 conversation with former Daily Show executive producer Ben Karlin, which you can listen to in the audio link above.
