Jon Stewart To Headline First Stand-Up Special In 21 Years
Comedy nerds rejoice — Jon Stewart is officially returning to stand-up comedy!
The former host of The Daily Show is set to headline his first stand-up special in 21 years on HBO, Entertainment Tonight reports. However, the date and location for his upcoming show have yet to be confirmed.
The premium cable company made the exclusive announcement on Wednesday, July 26, 2017, during its summer press tour with the Television Critics Association. "We have a larger overall deal with [Stewart]," HBO Programming President Casey Bloys revealed. "These stand-up specials are part of that larger deal" and are a "relatively low-cost way to be in the conversation."
"I'm really thrilled to be able to return to stand-up on HBO. They've always set the standard for great stand-up specials," Stewart released in a statement. He then joked, "Plus, I can finally use up the last of the Saddam Hussein jokes left over from my first special." As ET noted, the comedian's last stand-up special was HBO's Jon Stewart: Unleavened in 1996.
As Nicki Swift previously reported, Stewart took a year out of the spotlight following his Daily Show exit in 2015, before signing a four-year production deal with HBO. As Bloys stated at the time, the comedian was creating a "multi-platform project" via "an animated parody of a cable news network with an Onion-like portal." However, similarly to his new stand-up special, a release date for this series has yet to be announced.
In addition to Stewart's new HBO platform, the satirist is also gearing up to return as emcee of the Night of Too Many Stars later this year. The celebrity-filled event, which benefits NEXT for Autism, will take place on Saturday, November 18, 2017, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
These HBO projects cannot come soon enough. We've missed you, Stewart!