Once upon a time on Comedy Central, Jon Stewart was seen as more honest than the most milquetoast anchor on cable news.
The host of The Daily Show from 1999 to 2015, whose favorite pastime might have been mocking politicians, especially Republicans, was once described as “the Most Trusted Man in America” and commanded an audience of 2.2 million.
But the show has declined precipitously since his departure. Replacement host Trevor Noah hemorrhaged viewers, and when he left the show in 2022, the nightly audience was at 600,000. Since then, the show has featured a rotating cast of guest hosts who have done nothing to stem the show’s ratings decline.
Nine years after he signed off from the show, Stewart announced this week that he will join the rotation of hosts and anchor the show on Monday nights through the general election.
It might be tempting to assume that Stewart will instantly provide a boost to the show’s abysmal ratings. After all, the show enjoyed its peak of popularity when he was the sole host.
But if Stewart thinks he can rescue the show from its recent obscurity, he clearly thinks too much of himself. The 2024 edition of The Daily Show isn’t going to rediscover its 2015 rating highs, regardless of which C-tier comedian is seated in the host’s chair.
Stewart was at the height of his powers when cable television was still the dominant media platform. In 2024, cable television is in decline everywhere as younger generations look to social media and online platforms for their entertainment fix.
As for the host himself, in the past nine years, he has fallen further and further into obscurity. Most recently, he hosted a news-style show on AppleTV that failed to connect with audiences. Stewart is only available to host The Daily Show because Apple canceled that project after just two seasons.
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The market for “comedy” TV shows that mock Republican politicians and their supporters is already oversaturated. The Daily Show has been a part of that ecosystem for decades and has steadily lost viewers for the better part of the past decade.
Whether it’s the viewing habits of new generations or a lack of interest in recycled liberal comedy content, Stewart’s return to the desk of The Daily Show isn’t going to give it new life in 2024.