Jon Stewart

For the Green Lantern, see John Stewart (comics).

Professional background

With a reputation for being a funnyman even in school, Jon Stewart moved to New York City in 1986 to try his hand at the comedy club circuit. In 1989 he began hosting Comedy Central’s Short Attention Span Theater and in 1993, due in large part to the support of his friend David Letterman, Stewart started hosting The Jon Stewart Show on MTV, the first talk show on that network. Also in 1993, he had wound up a finalist to replace David Letterman on Late Night, losing out to Conan O’Brien. In 1994, MTV and Paramount launched an hour-long syndicated late night version of The Jon Stewart Show, but the show, broadcast in unhelpful 2:00 or 3:00 AM timeslots by some local stations, was a ratings flop and was cancelled in June 1995. Stewart had earlier hosted the unsuccessful You Wrote It, You Watch It on MTV, which invited viewers to send in their stories to be acted out.

Related Topics:
New York City - 1986 - Comedy club - 1989 - Comedy Central - Short Attention Span Theater - 1993 - David Letterman - MTV - Late Night - Conan O’Brien - 1994 - Paramount - Syndicated - 1995 - You Wrote It, You Watch It

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In 1999, Stewart began hosting The Daily Show on Comedy Central when Craig Kilborn left the show.

Related Topics:
1999 - The Daily Show - Comedy Central - Craig Kilborn

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Since that time, he has hosted all airings of the program save for a scant handful that have had correspondents such as Stephen Colbert filling in at the anchor desk.

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Although best known for his work on The Daily Show, Stewart has also had roles in several television series and movies.

Related Topics:
Television series - Movie

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He makes fun of his film appearances, as they have largely been in movies considered to be flops, most notably Half Baked.

Related Topics:
Flop - Half Baked

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He has guest-starred on such television shows as The Nanny, Spin City, and NewsRadio and hosted Saturday Night Live in March 2002.

Related Topics:
The Nanny - Spin City - NewsRadio - Saturday Night Live - March 2002

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Stewart drew much attention thanks to an unusual, awkward, and heated television exchange with CNN’s Tucker Carlson in October 2004. Stewart decried the state of television journalism and referred to both Carlson, whom he also declared to be “as big a dick on show as on any show” and co-host Paul Begala as “partisan hacks,” in addition to asserting that their show, Crossfire, has failed in its responsibility to inform and educate viewers about politics as a serious topic (transcript). This exchange became one of the most widely viewed Internet videos to date (both publicly on iFilm and other sources), and a topic of much media discussion. In January 2005, CNN announced that it was cancelling Crossfire. When asked about the cancellations, CNN’s incoming CEO, Jonathan Klein, stated he “wholeheartedly agrees” with Stewart’s “overall premise.”

Related Topics:
CNN - Tucker Carlson - October 2004 - Paul Begala - Crossfire - IFilm - January 2005 - CEO - Jonathan Klein

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Stewart has received the prestigious Peabody Award twice for the coverage of the 2000 and 2004 U.S. presidential elections on The Daily Show. He was also named one of the 2005 Time 100, an annual list of 100 of the most influential people of the year by Time Magazine. In the magazine article, Tom Brokaw described Stewart as one of the few people who represents true Athenian democratic values.

Related Topics:
Peabody Award - 2000 - 2004 U.S. presidential election - Time Magazine - Tom Brokaw - Athenian democratic

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