ComedyJon Stewartjon stewart daily show the daily show

7 Things You Didn't Know About Jon Stewart

Fromby Lisa Rogak.
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By 

Writer, HuffPost

With his exit from late-night TV, "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart will surely leave a void in the comedy-sphere. Many would rather he not leave, but we've put our trust with him for so many years: If he believes it's his time to go, then we should trust him on that as well.

Author Lisa Rogak's incredibly in-depth biography on Stewart, Angry Optimist: The Life and Times of Jon Stewart, reveals a plethora of information that few would know about the comedian. Stewart is not a very public guy. According to those who worked alongside him, despite his charming onscreen persona, he doesn't tend to open up to coworkers easily. He's a tough nut to crack.

But here are a few things about Jon Stewart that you likely didn't know. 

Jon Stewart's grandfather was born in Inner Mongolia.
Bruno Morandi via Getty Images

Jon Stewart's grandfather Nathan Laskin was born in Mongolia in 1906 and was later raised in Tientstin, China, which was home to a well-developed, albeit small, Jewish community.

Jon Stewart's first TV appearance was on a children's TV show in 1971.
YouTube

Stewart was 9 years old when he and his school band had a guest spot on a popular children's TV show "Captain Noah and His Magical Ark." (He played trumpet.)

Jon Stewart actually worked at Comedy Central before it was Comedy Central.
Wikipedia

Around 1990, Stewart was hired to write for a show called "The Sweet Life," which ran on HBO's Comedy Channel. That cable channel would later transform into what is now Comedy Central.

Jon Stewart met his wife Tracey on a blind date, which was a first for both of them.
Ethan Miller via Getty Images

One of Tracey's friends fixed her and Stewart up and the two met at a Mexican restaurant. Tracey was so over the dating scene at this point that she almost didn't go.

Jon Stewart proposed to Tracey through a New York Times crossword.
KATHY WILLENS/AP

Stewart enlisted the help of New York Times puzzle editor Will Shortz to add marriage proposal clues to the paper's infamously difficult crossword. Many of the puzzle's clues had special meaning specifically for Tracey.

Jon Stewart turned Stephen Colbert onto political satire.
Paul Morigi via Getty Images

"I didn't enjoy political humor until I started working with Jon," says Stephen Colbert. "And then I found I had a stronger [political point of view] than I imagined."

Jon Stewart may come back to the show... as a CORRESPONDENT.
Laura Cavanaugh via Getty Images
When asked about his successor, Trevor Noah, Stewart said, "He's a tremendous comic and talent that we've loved working with." Stewart then added that he "may rejoin as a correspondent just to be a part of it!!!"

 

Angry Optimist is out now in hardcover and paperback through St. Martin's Press.

 

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