Jon Stewart, 52, a comedian, said all the right things Tuesday
that he would really, really miss “The Daily Show.”
For years, Stewart has turned “The Daily Show” into one
of TV’s most enviable showcases – a platform that injected him into the
cultural and political zeitgeist, while paying him a fortune and allowing him
to have a hand in producing other programs for Comedy Central.
Stewart devoted the last few minutes of his program to
telling the studio audience that “Seventeen years is the longest I have ever in
my life held a job by 16 years and five months,” he joked, adding, “In my heart
I know it is time for someone else to have that opportunity.”
Calling his “Daily Show” stint “an absolute privilege,
the honor of my professional life,” Stewart noted, “This show doesn’t deserve
an even slightly restless host, and neither do you.”
Comedians can be a strange breed, even one as thoughtful
as Stewart. The fact something works isn’t always enough reason to keep doing
it, as Jerry Seinfeld made clear by conspicuously retiring his old standup
material, or Johnny Carson did by going from being one of the most visible
people in America to absolute retirement.
“I don’t have any
specific plans,” Stewart said, other than “dinner, on a school night, with my
family.”
The host should be taken at his word about looking
forward to a new challenge, although one suspects the polarized, vitriolic
nature of the times might have had something to do with making him somewhat
weary, beyond just the regular daily grind.
Stewart closed by saying he would miss the people with
whom he works, not being on television every day. Still, in terms of the best,
most influential job he’ll ever have, it wouldn’t be a surprise at some point
to see him look back wistfully and miss “The Daily Show” every bit as much as
most of his fans are going to miss their nightly dose of him.
Source: MSN
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