Jon Stewart's return to The Daily Show in 2024 was perhaps the biggest story of the year in late-night TV. And the host absolutely matched the hype once he got back behind the desk.
The Daily Show had been without a permanent host since Trevor Noah walked away from the job. A rotating cast of guest hosts and Daily Show correspondents stepped up, keeping things running smoothly.
Then, Jon Stewart announced he'd make his return for the 2024 election. Despite only hosting one night a week, the late-night TV icon made a massive impact on the genre and delivered some of the year's most memorable moments.
Jon Stewart's first night back at The Daily Show
It's only fitting to start with Jon Stewart's first night back at The Daily Show since 2015. It came on February 12, 2024, and Stewart was met with thunderous applause as he kicked off the show.
Stewart showed no signs of rust as he immediately jumped into his monologue. While he had stayed sharp with his Apple TV+ show The Problem with Jon Stewart, this was still a tall order to take on. Yet the comedian proved there really isn't anyone in late-night TV as good as him.
The 20-minute opening set the tone for The Daily Show's 2024 election coverage, mocked the Trump family's selective memory, gave Joe Biden's campaign some advice, and lamented the fact the two options for president were very old men.
Jon Stewart on Tucker Carlson and Russia
Some of the best moments in Daily Show history can be summed up as "Jon Stewart vs. conservative media." Stewart added another chapter in 2024 when he took on Tucker Carlson's interview of Russia's Vladimir Putin.
Stewart and Carlson have a long history. The Daily Show host pretty much humiliated Carlson on his show Crossfire back in October 2004. So fans were eager to hear Stewart go back at Carlson in February 2024.
At the time, Stewart faced backlash for his criticism of Joe Biden. So, the Daily Show host sarcastically took advice from Tucker Carlson on how to interview and treat a president. The only difference is that Carlson appeared to coddle Putin.
Stewart especially ripped Carlson for the conservative's segment on Russian grocery stores. Carlson applauded how a week's worth of groceries totaled about $100 in Russia.
"$104 for groceries sounds like a great bargain, unless you realize that Russians earn less than $200 a week," Stewart said. "Here’s the reality: you f***ing know all this, because you aren’t as dumb as your face would have us believe," he told Carlson. "Perhaps if your handlers had allowed, you would’ve seen that there’s a hidden fee to your cheap groceries and orderly streets. Ask Alexei Navalny or any of his supporters.”
Jon Stewart live after the Trump-Harris debate
It's always exciting (and impressive) when late-night TV shows go live after a major event. The Daily Show's moment came with a live episode following the debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
Stewart broke down key moments of the debate and explained what it could mean for the election. While other hosts like Stephen Colbert expressed optimism, Stewart remained skeptical despite Harris' impressive performance.
Stewart made it clear he believed Trump disqualified himself from office during the debate. But the rest of the country didn't see it the same way, and the race remained a coin flip. "I don’t know if this debate is going to change anything,” said Stewart. “People are often set in the manner that they view these proceedings. What I think is a home run answer for one candidate, someone else views as a dodge or a lie."
The host's debate coverage mixed in a healthy dose of anger to go along with his comedy. Perhaps Stewart's view was best summed up when he railed against a core Trump trait. “This man, who constantly professes to be your champion, who says they’re going to have to go through him to get to you, will always, when the boat is going down, be the first into the lifeboats,” Stewart said. “Because in that moment, he will always say the same thing: ‘I didn’t know anything about it, I was just told to show up for a cruise.’ Even though, everybody knows, he was the f***ing captain of the ship.
For all the great moments Jon Stewart gave us in 2024, maybe the best was what he said about 2025. He'll be back to host The Daily Show for another year, beginning when the show returns in January.