Copyright The Philadelphia Inquirer
At least one late night host can say they’re “marked safe” from widespread cancellation concerns that have reeled over the last few months. Jon Stewart will remain at his weekly post on The Daily Show for another year, Paramount, a Skydance Corporation, announced Monday afternoon. (Paramount, a Skydance Corporation, is a formal label that reflects the mass entertainment merger, which was completed earlier this year. Post-merger, Comedy Central is under the Skydance/Paramount umbrella.) The news comes on the heels of a series of shake-ups within the late night comedy scene. What happened to Colbert and Kimmel? CBS announced it was canceling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert earlier this summer, with its last episode scheduled to air in May 2026. The network cited “purely financial reasons,” but critics claim it’s tied to Colbert’s public criticism of President Donald Trump and his parent company’s settlement with Trump. Separately, Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC was temporarily suspended in September following Kimmel’s comments about Charlie Kirk’s death. Critics said the move — an indefinite suspension that ended up lasting about a week — was an act of censorship. There’s also Paramount drama In July, Paramount settled a lawsuit with President Donald Trump for $16 million over alleged “deceptive editing” by 60 Minutes, which is owned by CBS/Paramount, of an interview with Kamala Harris. This is the settlement Colbert criticized on his show and critics allege led to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s cancellation. Around the same time, Paramount apparently scrapped its plans for a The Daily Show project alongside political groups called Take A Seat that would’ve reportedly encouraged people nationwide to run for their local office. But at the last minute, the company hit the brakes, internally citing the risk of associating with partisan groups while Trump and the Federal Communications Commission have broadcast oversight, according to Semafor. Shortly after the Colbert show’s cancellation, South Park — which is also owned by Paramount and recently signed a five-year deal to produce 50 new episodes valued at $1.5 billion — weighed in on the ordeal. The show’s 27th season premiere episode attacked Trump and at one point referenced Colbert. In the scene, Jesus Christ urges the townspeople: “You guys saw what happened to CBS? Yeah, well, guess who owns CBS? Paramount. Do you really want to end up like Colbert?” Did we know Jon Stewart would come back? It was certainly his goal. Stewart’s contract was reportedly up this December. He suggested publicly and on air that his hope was to get an extension. “We’re working on staying,” he said last week when asked by David Remnick about his status on stage at The New Yorker Festival in Manhattan. “[But] it’s not as clear-cut as all that.” Stewart first hosted The Daily Show from 1999 through 2015. He returned last year to host the show’s Monday episodes with the rest of the show’s team taking turns the rest of the week. According to a news release, Stewart will continue his Mondays-only post and serve as an executive producer for the show through December 2026. “Jon Stewart continues to elevate the genre he created. His return is an ongoing commitment to the incisive comedy and sharp commentary that define The Daily Show,” Ari Pearce, head of Comedy Central, said. “The renewal is a win for audiences, for Comedy Central and for all our programming partners. We’re proud to support Jon and the extraordinary news team.”
