It’s the end of an era. After 17 incredible, award-winning years on The Daily Show, an emotional Jon Stewart announced during Tuesday night’s episode that he’ll be stepping down as host. “In my heart I know it is time for someone else to have that opportunity,” Stewart said, eliciting cries from The Daily Show audience who were unaware of the news at the time of taping.
(At one point someone from the vocal and supportive crowd yelled out, on all of our behalf, “We love you, Jon!”)RELATED: Jon Stewart on Directing Rosewater: “It’s Nice to Be Behind the Scenes”
Stewart said that his departure won’t be immediate, and that “we’re still working out the details” and doesn’t have “any specific plans” for life post-Daily Show. (He did joke, however, that “I’m gonna have dinner on a school night with my family, who I have heard from multiple sources are lovely people.”)
Calling his historic run as The Daily Show host “the honor of my professional life,” Stewart thanked those he has worked with on the late night satire series (“I love the people here, they’re the best”) and the viewers (“This show doesn’t deserve an even slightly restless host, and neither do you”) and put it quite simply: “I don’t think I’m gonna miss being on television everyday, I’m going to miss coming here every day.” We’re sure gonna miss him.
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Watch Jon Stewart’s emotional, heartfelt retirement announcement on The Daily Show in the video below: