The Daily Show: Jon Stewart Recreates Iconic Popcorn Gif In Return Teaser

Jon Stewart teases his Daily Show return with 9-year-old popcorn.

By Jamie Lovett

Jon Stewart is getting fans ready for his surprising return to The Daily Show with a teaser referencing much-used gif of him eating popcorn, taken from an episode of The Daily Show released nine years ago. The video sees Stewart shoveling popcorn into his mouth before realizing that it's the same popcorn from over a decade ago. After a cut to a screen that reminds viewers he'll be hosting The Daily Show on Mondays starting February 12th, the video returns to Stewart at The Daily Show desk as he comments on how the popcorn isn't bad for its age You can watch the teaser below.

Stewart's return to The Daily Show is an unexpected development after Paramount and Comedy Central's long search for a host to replace Trevor Noah, who was Stewart's successor as The Daily Show host following Stewart's original 16-year run hosting the show four days a week.. Rotating guest hosts have filled in since then and Roy Wood Jr., Hasan Minhaj, and Kal Penn were all said to be in the running for the permanent position, with reports also suggesting Paramount offered the gig to big names like Amy Schumer and Chris Rock. However, Stewart recently exited his Apple TV+ show, The Problem With John Stewart due to creative differences with the streaming service regarding coverage topics. In addition to hosting The Daily Show once a week, Stewart will be an executive producer for every episode during his return, which will last at least through the 2024 election cycle.

"Jon Stewart is the voice of our generation, and we are honored to have him return to Comedy Central's The Daily Show to help us all make sense of the insanity and division roiling the country as we enter the election season," Chris McCarthy, President/CEO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, said in a statement. "In our age of staggering hypocrisy and performative politics, Jon is the perfect person to puncture the empty rhetoric and provide much-needed clarity with his brilliant wit."

The Daily Show became a go-to source of political comedy during Stewart's 16 years as host, winning many Emmy Awards during that era. However, the show's nightly schedule left Stewart exhausted as he stepped away from the position in 2015. Allowing Stewart to host only once a week likely helped coax the 61-year-old comedian into returning to his old gig. 

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Stewart's return will begin on February 12th, with Stewart on-screen on Monday nights and producing behind-the-scenes for the rest of the week. The Daily Show will, presumably, continue to feature its bench of correspondents -- including Jordan Klepper, Desi Lydic, Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta, and Dulcé Sloan -- during the rest of the week.

Wood appeared to be the frontrunner to take over The Daily Show before his exit. In an interview, he explained he couldn't move forward with his career while remaining in a holding pattern while Comedy Central made its choice. "I can't come up with Plan B is while still working with Plan A," Wood explained. "The job of correspondent...it's not really one where you can juggle multiple things. [And] I think eight years is a good run." He added, "If you're offered the chance to host The Daily Show at any point in your life... you have to stop for a second and consider that ... The next question becomes, 'What does The Daily Show look like in 2024? And what does late night look like in 2024?'"

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