Is Jon Stewart still the right person to host The Daily Show?

Last night, Jon Stewart made it back into the host chair at The Daily Show, nine years after he originally left. He'll anchor Monday nights and executive produce episodes the rest of the week through the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

Stewart hosted The Daily Show for 16 years, leaving in 2015 because he thought he was no longer the right person for the job. The hosting baton was then handed to Trevor Noah, who left in 2022.

His return was a shock to a lot of people, mostly because there's a long list of comedians who are vying for the host position — from Hasan Minhaj to Ronnny Chieng to Dulcé Sloan.

Writer Devin Gordon joins host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to explain why it's such a surprise to see Stewart back in the hosting chair and why his nostalgic return is a step in the wrong direction.

We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, plus a chat about the Professional Women's Hockey League's inaugural season, listen and follow the Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud podcast on your favourite podcast player.

LISTEN | Today's episode on YouTube:

Elamin: I never thought I'd see Jon Stewart back in the host chair of the Daily Show. This is the show that he left nine years ago, a show that no one really expected him to return to. Mostly because there has been a very public and very long search for a replacement — a long list of people vying for that job. But suddenly it's meet the new host — same as the old host. A lot of mixed feelings out there about his return. Devin Gordon is here to tell us about what he thinks and what it means for political satire on TV. Devon, welcome to the show. How's it going? 

Devin: You know who was really surprised to see him back in the Daily Show chair? 

Elamin: Who's that? 

Devin: Jon Stewart. 

Elamin: What do you make of his return? This idea that, for the longest time, there was no way he was coming back to The Daily Show. And then you stayed up late last night to watch him return to the seat. What do you think, pal?  

Devin: It was kind of exactly what I expected and feared. He left a decade ago for a reason. He didn't want to come back. This was not what he expected when he left a decade ago. When you consider Comedy Central, they spent a year and a half looking for a new host. Briefly had one in Hasan Minhaj. And then dumped him at the first sign of trouble. This is clearly not what they had in mind. 

This smacked of panic and desperation, from the moment it was announced and I think we saw why last night. All the liberal and Democratic people in my Twitter mentions who really blasted me for the column that I wrote in The Atlantic saying that this was a disappointment. I wonder how they're feeling this morning. Is this what you were so excited about? Warmed over jokes for 18 minutes about how old Joe Biden is, and a few jokes about how old Donald Trump is, but mostly a false equivalency. Is this what you were so excited about?

Elamin: I think the number one word for it is that there was a period of time when you would look to Jon Stewart to do this kind of comedy and raise the argument that our politics is absurd right now. He does that thing well. And isn't there a comfort to be found in the thing that he does well, which is to say, it's not just you, you're not crazy. Everything is a little bit absurd. 

Devon: That's the best spirit of the show. But that's not what I saw last night. I mean, we are well past the point of "Joe Biden he's old" jokes. "Donald Trump is old" jokes. That is not raising the conversation. That is not exposing the madness, hypocrisy and lunacy of current politics. Do better, Jon. People have been making jokes and pointing out that these two guys are old for about a year now. We need to move past that conversation and get into some more interesting and provocative stuff. 

That's really what I was hoping Jon Stewart would do. Instead, he spent 18 minutes making jokes about how old they are, and then his first guest came on and talked about how Joe Biden shouldn't even run for a second term. 

The best part of the first episode was when Dulce Sloan came on about a half hour into the show. It was the first time, the only time when they were really doing anything provocative and coming close to touching a third rail. She was really funny. 

Elamin: You wrote an article for The Atlantic called "The Daily Show is Better than this." In your mind, is there a higher goal, a higher version of the show? What does that look like? What did you mean that there is a Daily Show that is better than this? 

Devin: We need a more diverse and younger set of correspondents on the show. I don't think anybody is excited to see someone coming back after a decade away from something that they left voluntarily because they thought their time there had gone on too long, that they were no longer the person for the job. But I also just think what we expect from The Daily Show is really elevated, sharp, original critiques of our politics. And talking about how old [Biden and Trump] are is the most obvious thing you can do.

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Interview produced by Amelia Eqbal