Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz, November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, writer, producer, director, actor, media critic, and former television host. He was the host of The Daily Show, a satirical news program on Comedy Central, from 1999 until 2015. Stewart started as a stand-up comedian, but branched into television as host of Short Attention Span Theater for Comedy Central. He went on to host his own show on MTV, The Jon Stewart Show, and then hosted You Wrote It, You Watch It, also on MTV. He has also had several film roles as an actor, but has done few cinematic projects since becoming the host of The Daily Show in 1999. He was also a writer and co-executive producer of the show. After Stewart joined, The Daily Show steadily gained popularity and critical acclaim, and his work won 22 Primetime Emmy Awards. Stewart has gained acclaim as an acerbic, satirical critic of personality-driven media shows, in particular those of the U.S. media networks such as CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. Critics say Stewart benefits from a double standard: he critiques other news shows from the safe, removed position of his "fake news" desk. Stewart agrees, saying that neither his show nor his channel purports to be anything other than satire and comedy. In spite of its self-professed entertainment mandate, The Daily Show has been nominated for news and journalism awards. Stewart hosted the 78th and 80th Academy Awards. He is the co-author of America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction, which was one of the best-selling books in the U.S. in 2004, and Earth (The Book): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race, released in 2010. Stewart announced on February 10, 2015, during a taping of The Daily Show, that he would leave the show before the end of 2015, but assured fans that he was not retiring and suggested that he would continue writing and may return to stand-up comedy or as a part-time correspondent. Stewart's final show aired on August 6, 2015.