Jon Stewart has been spending his Donald Trump-era days living on a New Jersey farm, opening a separate animal sanctuary and generally seeming like he’s finding much-needed rest after his long run with “The Daily Show.”
He’s made the occasional appearance on late-night shows, but has generally been absent from television throughout the rise of Trump.
Hopefully Stewart has fully recharged though, because his absence is finally coming to an end. HBO just announced that they’re putting Stewart back on the air with two different specials, one of which will air live later this year.
On Nov. 18, Stewart will host autism benefit “Night of Too Many Stars,” which is planned to include both stand-up and comedy sketches. Then Stewart will create his first stand-up special in more than 20 years.
“We've all missed his uniquely thoughtful brand of humor.”
- Casey Bloys, HBO's president of programming
“We’re excited to bring Jon to the network with this pair of specials,” said Casey Bloys, HBO’s president of programming at the TCA event where the news was announced. “We’ve all missed his uniquely thoughtful brand of humor.”
Stewart also commented about his upcoming stand-up special at the event, making reference to how long it’s been since he’s done one. “I can finally use up the last of the Saddam Hussein jokes left over from my first special,” said Stewart.
This news comes just a few months after HBO announced that their original project with Stewart ― an animated series that would react to the news ― had fallen through. Stewart signed a four-year production deal with the network in 2015 that is the impetus for these specials.
Watch a grainy version of Stewart’s last stand-up special, “Unleavened,” below:
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