Hasan Minhaj Reportedly Lost Daily Show Hosting Gig After Embellishment Controversy

There was some big news surrounding The Daily Show this week after it was announced that the show is once again continuing without a permanent host. In honor of the election year, it’s been announced that longtime host Jon Stewart will be returning to the series. Stewart hosted the show from 1999 to 2015 before Trevor Noah took over the role. Since Noah left in 2022, the show has been led by various guest hosts including Leslie Jones, Wanda Sykes, John Leguizamo, Sarah Silverman, Kal Penn, and more. Former correspondent Hasan Minhaj was previously rumored to be a frontrunner when it came to picking a new host, but the comedian was hit with controversy after an article from The New Yorker alleged that Minhaj had embellished many of the seemingly-autobiographical stories in his stand-up act. According to a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, Minhaj lost out on the hosting gig due to the controversy.

“According to multiple sources, the former correspondent’s deal to take over as Noah’s replacement was all but done by late summer, when The New Yorker published an article alleging that he’d exaggerated and, in some cases, made up autobiographical details of his comedy. Though Minhaj called the piece ‘needlessly misleading,’ he was suddenly seen as a liability, and the host search began anew,” THR reports. 

Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show Return:

Stewart’s return to The Daily Show will begin on February 12th. The plan is for Stewart to appear on-screen on Monday nights and produce behind-the-scenes for the rest of the week. During the rest of the week, The Daily Show is expected to continue featuring its correspondents, including Jordan Klepper, Desi Lydic, Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta, and Dulcé Sloan. 

“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.”

“Friends. After much reflection I have decided to enter the transfer portal for my last year of eligibility. Excited for the future!” Stewart shared on Twitter earlier this week. 

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