This is it, friends. The huge tectonic shift of American late night talk shows is complete. What began with the departure of Craig Ferguson leaving The Late Late Show has today concluded with Jon Stewart‘s final episode of The Daily Show.
Through 16 years behind the desk, Stewart has taken The Daily Show from a half-formed concept introduced to the public by predecessor Craig Kilborn, to a fully-realised powerhouse, the equal of most legitimate news services, and inarguably the global leader in political satire.
Today’s finale capped off a joyous final week of shows that featured Stewart both continuing to skewer the current American political landscape, as well as reflect on his time in the chair.
With today’s finale, that all turned towards reflection and – more importantly – reunion. Past Daily Show correspondents all returned, giving the audiences a brief reminder of the sheer weight of talent that has filled that role over the years. Names like Steve Carrell, Ed Helms, Wyatt Cenac, John Oliver, John Hodgman, Kristen Schaal, Asif Mandvi, Lewis Black, Larry Wilmore, Rob Corddry, Michael Che, Samantha Bee, as well as the current cast including Jordan Klepper, Jessica Williams, along with former host Craig Kilborn, and Stewart’s replacement Trevor Noah.
And then Stephen Colbert showed up.
The one-time correspondent, then opposing show anchor, and now future host of The Late Show strolled onto set, surprising Jon with an unscripted, and very heartfelt speech of appreciation, thanking Stewart for teaching all who walked through the door how to work with clarity and fairness, stating “We’re better at our jobs because we got to watch you do yours” as an emotional Stewart cracked, fighting back tears.
And with a final monologue that began, quite succinctly, with Stewart reminding us all that “Bullshit is everywhere,” and ended with a simple “That’s our show!” the legendary Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band took the stage to send Stewart’s Daily Show off into that good night, ripping through both “Land of Hope and Dreams” and possibly the greatest song ever written in “Born to Run.”
As the show’s cast, crew, and families danced and hugged as Bruce played Jon out, he ended his final Comedy Central broadcast with an emotional “Thank you. Goodnight.”
No, Jon. Thank you.
Thank you.
The final instalment of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart will air locally tonight at 6:30pm on The Comedy Channel.
All videos via Uproxx.
