If you felt like you missed an episode of The Daily Show this week, you’re not alone. Many likely tuned in on Monday, Jan. 19 trying to figure out what was going on. Why wasn’t Jon Stewart behind the desk with another new episode?
The Daily Show wasn’t new, joining the likes of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel Live!. However, the series is new for the rest of the week, with Josh Johnson taking a stint behind the desk for the whole week.
Why The Daily Show wasn’t new on Monday, Jan. 19
The lack of new episode had nothing to do with Stewart or the guests, and it had everything to do with the holiday. Like Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel, Stewart took the night off to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Only NBC opted to have a Monday night packed with late night shows, with both Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers taking to their desks to chat with guests.
It does mean that we need to wait a little longer to hear Stewart’s thoughts on President Donald Trump continuing to threaten European allies in an attempt to get Greenland. We know he has plenty of thoughts.
Josh Johnson will sit behind the desk for the rest of the week, marking his first stint as co-host in 2026.
What to expect on The Daily Show for the rest of the week
On Tuesday, Jan. 20, we saw Johnson kick off the stint with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America CEO Artis Stevens sit down to chat about the charity and the need for it in the current world.
On Wednesday, Jan. 21, we’ll see him sit down with Simu Liu, who is sure to chat about The Copenhagen Test which dropped back in December. He is also on Broadway in Oh, Mary! so there will be plenty to watch. This isn’t Liu’s debut on the series, as he actually made that two weeks ago, when he crashed Lucy Liu’s appearance with Ronny Chieng.
Then on Thursday, Jan. 22, Johnson will chat with Alexandria Stapleton, who is there to talk about her upcoming Netflix docuseries, Sean Combs: The Reckoning.
Stewart will be back on Monday, Jan. 26. The guest list for the week hasn’t been set just yet, nor as the co-host for the rest of the week. We’ll be here to share it once we know.
The Daily Show airs on weeknights at 11/10c on Comedy Central.