Jon Stewart Explains Why He’s Leaving The Daily Show

Among the reasons why longtime Daily Show host Jon Stewart decided to leave the satirical news program is the upcoming presidential election.

Stewart made clear to the Guardian that it wasn’t that his show wasn’t working anymore — “It was more, ‘Yup, it’s working. But I’m not getting the same satisfaction’” — but rather he just didn’t see an election that would be “wildly different” from any of the previous ones he had covered.

“Honestly, it was a combination of the limitations of my brain and a format that is geared towards following an increasingly redundant process, which is our political process,” he said. Another plus of leaving? Not having to watch the news to keep up: “Watching these channels all day is incredibly depressing.”

Stewart, who began hosting the show in 1999, announced in February that he would leave the show at some point this year. He has a 10-year-old son and a 9-year-old daughter, and said he would like to be able to spend more time with them.

South African comedian Trevor Noah was named Stewart’s successor.

Read more at the Guardian.

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