Jon Stewart Discusses Uncertain Future of “The Daily Show” Amid Skydance-Paramount Merger
Just hours before “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” was canceled at CBS, Jon Stewart opened up about the uncertain future of “The Daily Show” if the proposed Skydance–Paramount merger goes through.
David Ellison’s Skydance Media is in the process of buying Paramount, which is the parent company of CBS and Stewart’s network Comedy Central. The $8 billion deal is still pending FCC approval more than a year after it was announced. But earlier this month, Trump and Paramount reached a settlement in the president’s lawsuit over an interview “60 Minutes” did with Kamala Harris, in which Paramount agreed to pay him $16 million. Both Colbert and Stewart have been vocal about their disapproval of the settlement.
On Thursday’s episode of his “The Weekly Show With Jon Stewart” podcast, a listener asked: “Do you think Skydance would get rid of ‘The Daily Show’ after the merger goes through?”
Stewart responded: “Unfortunately, we haven’t heard anything from them. They haven’t called me and said, ‘Don’t get too comfortable in that office, Stewart.’ But let me tell you something, I’ve been kicked out of shittier establishments than that. We’ll land on our feet. I honestly don’t know.”
However, Stewart pointed out that “without ‘The Daily Show,’ Comedy Central is kind of like muzak at this point.”
“I think we’re the only sort of life that exists on a current basis other than ‘South Park.’ But I’d like to think we bring enough value to the property, like if they’re looking at it as purely a real estate transaction, I think we bring a lot of value,” he said. “But that may not be their consideration. I don’t know, they may sell the whole fucking place for parts. I just don’t know.”
Skydance did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment on the future of “The Daily Show.”
However, Stewart ended his answer on a somewhat positive note, saying “we’ll deal with it when we do, but I’m so happy and proud of everybody that works [here].”
“If they want to do that, knock themselves out,” he said. Though he reiterated that he has “no knowledge” of the future, he referenced the Trump-praised Ellison in saying: “We’ve all got a surmisal about who actually is owning it and what his ideology is, but ideology may not play a part.”
