Jon Stewart extends 'Daily Show' contract through 2028, his longest deal since returning

Jon Stewart is staying at 'The Daily Show' through December 2028 — his longest commitment since returning to the program — in a two-year extension announced Monday by Skydance Television, which owns Comedy Central. The deal keeps one of television's most prominent critics of President Donald Trump in place for the remainder of Trump's term and through the next presidential election cycle.

Stewart, 63, hosts the satirical newscast on Monday nights and serves as its executive producer. According to Skydance, correspondents Ronny Chieng, Josh Johnson, Jordan Klepper, Michael Kosta, and Desi Lydic are set to remain in the Tuesday-through-Thursday hosting rotation.

Jon Stewart is a generational talent and The Daily Show continues to be one of the most influential franchises on television and a cornerstone of Comedy Central. We are excited to continue our partnership with Jon and his award winning news team.— George Cheeks, co-chair and chief content officer, Skydance TV

The extension is the first to span two years since Stewart rejoined the program in January 2024, following two successive one-year renewals. His most recent one-year deal, signed in November, was set to expire at the end of 2026, according to CNN.

The announcement lands in a fraught moment for late-night television. Skydance pulled the plug on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' — a program the company said was bleeding $40 million annually — and filled the slot with 'Comics Unleashed,' a non-topical comedy program produced by media mogul Byron Allen, who rents the late-night time from the network. Stewart, who was an executive producer of Colbert's show and a close friend, harshly criticized that cancellation and accused the company of bending the knee to the president, according to CNN.

That criticism raised questions about whether Stewart himself might be next. Skydance chief David Ellison has worked to cultivate ties with the Trump administration — hosting a dinner honoring the president earlier this year — and after Skydance's merger with Warner Bros. Discovery closed earlier this month, Trump praised Ellison and his father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, as 'terrific people,' according to CNN. Monday's announcement appears to settle the question of Stewart's future, at least for now.

When asked about Trump following the merger, Ellison said his company maintained relationships with politicians from both parties. Ellison, according to CNN, said, 'It's important to talk to everyone on both sides of the aisle.' 'We don't want to politicize.'

The renewal is also one of the first major programming moves from the newly enlarged Skydance, formed when Paramount Skydance acquired Warner Bros. Discovery earlier this month, according to CNN.

While late-night television broadly is struggling as younger viewers migrate from traditional TV to streaming, 'The Daily Show' has maintained a strong audience. Nielsen data cited by the Los Angeles Times showed the program reached its highest viewership in eight years during the third quarter of 2026, and Comedy Central reported the show had racked up 1.6 billion views across social media platforms in 2026.

Stewart first took the 'Daily Show' desk in 1999 and built the satirical newscast into a significant force in national political discourse before stepping away in 2015 — at the time among the highest-paid performers in television, according to the Los Angeles Times. He subsequently had a production deal with HBO and hosted 'The Problem with Jon Stewart' on Apple TV before returning to 'The Daily Show' in 2024 for his current Monday-night arrangement.

Stewart broadcasts on Comedy Central, a cable outlet that falls outside the jurisdiction of the Federal Communications Commission — unlike broadcast late-night hosts such as Jimmy Kimmel, whom both Trump and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr have threatened to remove from the air. The Los Angeles Times noted that Trump has not targeted Stewart in social media posts during his second term, despite Stewart's pointed criticism.

Why it matters — The deal ensures that cable television's most-watched satirical news program — and one of the few remaining prominent platforms openly critical of the Trump administration — will remain on air through the 2028 election, even as the broader late-night landscape contracts around it.

Reported by thehill.com, variety.com, latimes.com, cnn.com