Jon Stewart explains his exit from "The Daily Show"
When Jon Stewart announced in February that he was quitting "The Daily Show," he left some viewers scratching their heads. After all, the show is still funny. It's still luring in viewers. And at 52, Stewart has a long career ahead of him.
So why is he leaving after 16 years?
In a new interview with The Guardian, Stewart sheds some more light on his departure from the popular Comedy Central show, calling it "the most perfect job in the world." He explains that there wasn't an a-ha moment.
"It's not like I thought the show wasn't working any more, or that I didn't know how to do it. It was more, 'Yup, it's working. But I'm not getting the same satisfaction,'" Stewart said.
"These things are cyclical," he continued. "You have moments of dissatisfaction, and then you come out of it and it's OK. But the cycles become longer and maybe more entrenched, and that's when you realise, 'OK, I'm on the back side of it now.'"
Stewart has sat behind the anchor desk of "The Daily Show" since 1999. The series has won 19 Emmys and averages about a million viewers each night. Stewart took a hiatus from "The Daily Show" in 2013 while directing his first feature film, "Rosewater."
South African comedian Trevor Noah will take over hosting duties later this year.