The last time Jon Stewart’s fans caught a glimpse of the former “Daily Show” host, it seemed like he would be taking it easy on his newly founded animal preserve with his wife and kids. Not so fast.
The 52-year-old comedian has signed an exclusive four-year production deal with HBO, which will include creating short-form digital content that will appear on the network’s various platforms. HBO will also get a first look at other film and TV projects shepherded by Stewart.
“Jon Stewart led a revolution that changed the face of TV comedy on the ‘Daily Show,’” said HBO programming president Michael Lombardo in a statement Tuesday. “He graced our network nearly 20 years ago, so we’re thrilled to welcome back his immense talents in this next chapter of his career.”
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Stewart will be rejoining his former “Daily Show” correspondent-turned-host in his own right, John Oliver, on the premium cable channel. Besides his Emmy-winning work on “The Daily Show,” Stewart ventured into directing feature films last year with his critically acclaimed dramatic film “Rosewater.” When he announced his retirement from his hit Comedy Central show the same year, he suggested that he “would like to” direct again, although that wasn’t his prime motivation for moving on. “Appearing on television 22 minutes a night clearly broke me,” Stewart said in the press release Tuesday. “I’m pretty sure I can produce a few minutes of content every now and again.”
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