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    Friday, April 26, 2024

    ‘Daily Show’ kicks off marathon of more than 2,500 episodes

    For everyone still mourning the impending loss of Jon Stewart on the “The Daily Show,” there’s some relief online.

    Comedy Central is streaming a 42-day marathon of “The Daily Show” since Stewart started hosting in 1999. That’s over 2,500 episodes of media-bashing, strange-sound-making, hypocrisy-finding Stewart. The network started streaming the episodes Friday.

    “Tell your friends you’ll see them in August,” the site reads.

    Called “Your Month of Zen,” a play on Stewart’s show-closing segment “Moment of Zen,” the marathon will stream on Comedy Central’s website. While technically not on TV, “Month of Zen” will be longer than the current record holder for longest TV marathon, VH1 Classic’s 19 days of “SNL” leading up to the show’s 40th anniversary special. Before that, FXX held the title with their running of “Every Simpsons Ever” running for 12 days.

    “Month of Zen” will celebrate Stewart’s nearly 16 years with the show, ending on the day of his final episode, Aug. 6, AV Club reported. After that, South African stand-up Trevor Noah will take over the anchor spot.

    Stewart’s first show was on January 11, 1999 after taking over for Craig Kilborn. He jumped right into the show’s coverage of President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial with the segment “The Final Blow.”

    “You’re out of order, he’s out of order — this whole trial is ... sexy,” Stewart quipped, his first joke from the anchor chair.

    Over Stewart’s nearly 16 years on the show, he’s covered four presidential elections, two wars, tragedies from 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina to the Boston Marathon bombing and others. He’s been the go-to — sometimes only — news source for young Americans, as well as a political leader for many. Stewart’s work earned him some enemies, particularly those on the right, but he wasn’t one to back down from fight.

    If you do find some time to watch over the next month, one of the things you’ll see is many, many now famous people who you may have forgotten were on the show.

    Some of these are obvious. Stephen Colbert was a “Daily Show” correspondent from 1997 to 2008, ultimately leaving to host the wildly successful “The Colbert Report,” and is now preparing to take over “The Late Show.” John Oliver, now hosting “Last Week Tonight,” worked on the show from 2007 to 2013. There’s also Larry Wilmore, who appeared periodically with Stewart and is now hosting”The Nightly Show.”

    But there were plenty of others: Steve Carell joined Colbert for their segment “Even Steven” in the show’s earlier years, ultimately winning an Emmy for “The Office” and receiving an Oscar nomination for acting in “Foxcatcher.” Rob Corddry also would go on to win an Emmy for “Children’s Hospital.” Stars like Ed Helms, Jason Jones, Rob Riggle, Josh Gad, Olivia Munn, Kristen Schaal, and more are also among the many who served a stint with the show. Additionally, long-time members Samantha Bee, Lewis Black, Aasif Mandvi and John Hodgman are still listed as part of the news team on the website.

    Stewart has been credited by many for providing a career boost to almost everyone who worked with him.

    There are plenty of prime moments that any devotee will love to relive, including when Stewart mocked Glenn Beck with a parody episode. The were the numerous times he entered heated, sometimes combative interviews with guests like Jim Cramer and Bill O’Reilly.

    But of course, what many remember best is when Stewart decided to forego comedy and instead speak from the heart, as he did after the attacks of 9/11, the grand jury decision in Eric Garner’s death, and recently following the shooting in Charleston.

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