--- ---  # Heartwarming, Hilarious Celebrity Reactions on Jon Stewart Departure by [Will Robinson / Entertainment Weekly](https://time.com/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## Will Robinson / Entertainment Weekly Feb 11, 2015 3:59 AM UTC  Jon Stewart covers the midterm elections at ZACH Theatre in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 28, 2014 Jon Stewart covers the midterm elections at ZACH Theatre in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 28, 2014Rick Kern—Getty Images for Comedy Central by [Will Robinson / Entertainment Weekly](https://time.com/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## Will Robinson / Entertainment Weekly Feb 11, 2015 3:59 AM UTC In his 16 years at the helm of _The Daily Show_, Jon Stewart transformed the once-struggling show into a pop culture juggernaut, often playing a role as a much-needed fourth estate (with far more lewd jokes than Edmund Burke imagined back in the 18th century). On Tuesday, Comedy Central announced that the titan of their network [will leave the show at some point this year](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/02/10/jon-stewart-leaving-daily-show). We rounded up the best reactions from top entertainment figures and Stewart’s fellow comedians on the day’s biggest news. > [](https://twitter.com/ComedyCentral/status/565296357792284676) > [](https://twitter.com/mindykaling/status/565310364934758400) > [](https://twitter.com/CraigyFerg/status/565310379841298433) > [](https://twitter.com/pattonoswalt/status/565311653387198464) > [](https://twitter.com/andersoncooper/status/565297498089340931) > [](https://twitter.com/EricStangel/status/565310997830074368) > [](https://twitter.com/jayduplass/status/565304418854535172) > [](https://twitter.com/joshgad/status/565313494636306432) In a statement on Tuesday, Comedy Central president Michele Ganeless wrote: “For the better part of the last two decades, I have had the incredible honor and privilege of working with Jon Stewart. His comedic brilliance is second to none. Jon has been at the heart of Comedy Central, championing and nurturing the best talent in the industry, in front of and behind the camera. Through his unique voice and vision, _The Daily Show_ has become a cultural touchstone for millions of fans and an unparalleled platform for political comedy that will endure for years to come. He is a comic genius, generous with his time and talent, and will always be a part of the Comedy Central family.” _This_ [_article_](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/02/10/reactions-jon-stewart-leaving-daily-show) _originally appeared on_ [_EW.com_](http://www.ew.com)_._ ### See Jon Stewart's Career Over the Years  Jon Stewart takes the reins as anchor of The Daily Show in 1999. Comedy Central/Everett  Stewart gets a cameo as Kevin Gerrity in the 1999 Adam Sandler movie Big Daddy. Columbia  Jay Leno interviews Jon Stewart on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno in 2000. NBC/Getty Images  Stewart plays Marion Frank Stokes in the 2002 black comedy Death to Smoochy Warner Bros.  Jon Stewart and his team win the first of many Emmys for The Daily Show in 2003. Chris Weeks—FilmMagic/Getty Images  Jon Stewart hosts the 78th Academy Awards in 2006. Academy of Motion Picture Arts—WireImage/Getty Images  Stewart has a cameo as himself on The Simpsons in 2008 in the episode "E Pluribus Wiggum." Fox  Steven Colbert and Jon Stewart host the Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear on the National Mall on Oct. 30, 2010 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee—Getty Images  Jon Stewart interviews President Barack Obama on The Daily Show at the Harman Center for the Arts in Washington, DC, Oct. 26, 2010. Jim Watson—AFP/Getty Images  Jon Stewart speaks at the 51st USO Armed Forces Gala & Gold Medal Dinner on Dec. 13, 2012 in New York City. Michael Loccisano—Getty Images  Stewart makes his directorial debut in the 2014 drama Rosewater. Open Road Films  Jon Stewart announces his retirement for the end of 2015. Comedy Central _Read next:_ [_7 Potential Replacements for Jon Stewart on_ ](http://time.com/3704465/jon-stewart-the-daily-show-retiring-replacement-hosts/?xid=time%5Freadnext)[The Daily Show](http://time.com/3704465/jon-stewart-the-daily-show-retiring-replacement-hosts/?xid=time%5Freadnext) Celebrity Reactions on Jon Stewart Leaving 'The Daily Show' ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3704563/jon-stewart-daily-show-reactions-mindy-kaling-comedy-central/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3704563/jon-stewart-daily-show-reactions-mindy-kaling-comedy-central/"},"headline":"Heartwarming, Hilarious Celebrity Reactions on Jon Stewart Departure","datePublished":"2015-02-11T03:59:33.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:05:43.167Z","description":"\"He is a comic genius, generous with his time and talent\"","url":"https://time.com/3704563/jon-stewart-daily-show-reactions-mindy-kaling-comedy-central/","keywords":["celebrities"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1e1ec52d968827d3/69877ea106f2c15216333e77/458012746.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Will Robinson / Entertainment Weekly"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1e1ec52d968827d3/69877ea106f2c15216333e77/458012746.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Presents Democalypse 2014: South By South Mess","caption":"The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Presents Democalypse 2014: South By South Mess","creditText":"Rick Kern—Getty Images for Comedy Central","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/celebrities/","name":"celebrities"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3704563/jon-stewart-daily-show-reactions-mindy-kaling-comedy-central/","name":"Heartwarming, Hilarious Celebrity Reactions on Jon Stewart Departure"}}]}] ```