By Keach Hagey And Joe Flint
Jon Stewart will retire as the host of Comedy Central's "The
Daily Show, " the cable network said, after a nearly 16-year run
that helped reshape late-night television.
In a statement, Comedy Central President Michele Ganeless said
Mr. Stewart will remain at the helm of the show until later this
year.
"Through his unique voice and vision, 'The Daily Show' has
become a cultural touchstone for millions of fans and an
unparalleled platform for political comedy that will endure for
years to come," she said. "He is a comic genius, generous with his
time and talent, and will always be a part of the Comedy Central
family."
Mr. Stewart's contract is set to expire in September, and
negotiations on the exact timing of his departure from the show are
still under way, according to a person familiar with the
matter.
Mr. Stewart's departure will follow that of Comedy Central's
other high-profile late-night comic, Stephen Colbert. Mr. Colbert
ended his program, "The Colbert Report," late last year and will
begin hosting a late-night talk show on CBS in 2015.
The loss of top talent at Comedy Central poses challenges for
the channel's parent, Viacom Inc., which is already trying to
rebound from ratings declines at several of its major networks.
After Mr. Colbert's departure, the network created a show for
Larry Wilmore, who was known as the "senior black correspondent" on
"The Daily Show." Mr. Wilmore's program, "The Nightly Show,"
premiered last month.
Mr. Stewart has become a major voice in American culture. He has
lampooned political figures and skewered the media with trademark
montages taken from the day's news. And he has used his platform to
conduct serious and, at times, probing interviews with major news
makers.
"The Daily Show" also proved to be an excellent springboard.
Several members of Mr. Stewart's team became stars in their own
right, including Steve Carell, Mr. Colbert and John Oliver. Mr.
Oliver now hosts a show on Time Warner Inc.'s HBO.
"The Daily Show" has always drawn a relatively small but
influential audience in the world of late night, averaging 1.7
million total viewers for this quarter, according to Nielsen. But
the audience has always been highly attractive to advertisers for
its ability to consistently pull in the elusive young male audience
in the 18-34 demographic.
Mr. Stewart took over the Daily Show in 1996 from Craig Kilborn
who left for a late-night show on CBS.
Write to Keach Hagey at keach.hagey@wsj.com
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