Jon Stewart retiring from 'The Daily Show'

ByJustin Sedgwick KGO logo
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Jon Stewart, host of "The Daily Show," is retiring.
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Jon Stewart is retiring from "The Daily Show."

Comedy Central, parent network to the seminal satirical news program, announced Stewart's retirement in a tweet today. Stewart will leave the program at the end of 2015, according to the Washington Post.

Stewart has hosted "The Daily Show" since 1999 and transformed the program into one of the most biting voices in news and comedy. "The Daily Show" has been a launching pad for numerous comedians in the 2000's, including Ed Helms, Steve Carrell, and Stephen Colbert, who left his own "Daily Show" spinoff program "The Colbert Report" last year to replace David Letterman on "The Late Show" in 2015.

Stewart took a 12 week leave from "The Daily Show" in 2013 to direct "Rosewater," a film based on Maziar Bahari's experiences after being jailed in Iran following an appearance on the satirical news program. When Stewart spoke to Howard Stern in November regarding the film, he mentioned that he was having "'Daily Show' burnout," according to Salon.

Stewart is known to poke fun at numerous politicians and political figures. His leaving has been reportedly been causing chatter throughout congressional halls.

"The Daily Show" Twitter page teased viewers to watch tonight's episode.

This story will be updated as it develops.