John Oliver got quite the surprise during a Wednesday appearance on TODAY. The Last Week Tonight host was doing a victory lap for his Emmy win when he learned that his old boss, Jon Stewart, is returning as host of The Daily Show. Well, part time anyway. Stewart will host the Comedy Central program on Monday nights as America heads into what’s looking like another election show down between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
When asked for his reaction (as the news broke during his TODAY appearance), Oliver was stunned at the turn of events, but he had nothing but good things to say about Stewart, who he worked under during his early days as a Daily Show correspondent.
“I mean, that’s, that is a surprise,” Oliver said via Variety. “That’s a show that needs a host. He certainly is a very, very good one. So yeah, it’ll be exciting to see what he does.”
However, Oliver didn’t contain his remarks to Stewart’s return. He chastised Comedy Central’s parent company Paramount Global for not picking a full-time host to replace Trevor Noah, especially when the show is sitting on a stable of worthy talent:
But Oliver also believes that “after 2025, they should appoint a permanent host,” naming former “Daily Show” correspondent Roy Wood Jr. and former Peacock host Amber Ruffin as potential candidates.
“But it’s going to be very exciting to see Jon again in an election year,” Oliver continued.
In the meantime, Stewart will man his old desk on Monday nights as a rotating group of hosts will fill in for the remainder of the week. That pool will most likely consist of Jordan Klepper, Desi Lydic, Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta, and Dulcé Sloan.
(Via Variety)