An inside look at how 'Daily Show' host Jon Stewart went from unknown stand-up to America's favorite fake newscaster
Jonathan Stewart Leibowitz was born in 1962 in New York City. His mother, Marian, was a teacher who later became an educational consultant. His father, Don, was a physicist. (His older brother, Larry, was 2 at the time, and went on to work on Wall Street, and is the former COO of NYSE Euronext.)
The Leibowitzes moved to a middle-class neighborhood in Lawrence Township, New Jersey, where Stewart grew up. His was one of the few Jewish families in town, and he was often teased as a kid, according to the New Yorker's Tad Friend. "He recalls being called 'Leibotits' and 'Leibosh--s,' and getting punched out at the bus stop when he was in the seventh grade."
Source: The New Yorker
When Stewart was 12, his parents divorced. According to The New Yorker, he was "deeply shaken by the breakup, and by his subsequent failure to find common ground with his father." In the 2002 profile, Stewart told Friend that his father had never seen him perform.
Source: The New Yorker
Though the young Stewart earned the title of "Best Sense of Humor" in high school, he was more invested in his soccer career, according to a profile in Moment Magazine. An all-state (honorable mention) pick his senior year, he chose The College of William and Mary, in part for its soccer team.
Source: Moment
My college career was waking up late, memorizing someone else's notes, doing bong hits, and going to soccer practice," Stewart told New York Magazine in 1994. "A fine institution of higher learning, and I spent half of it bent over a little plastic tube going, 'Turn up the jam!'
Source: New York
Stewart ultimately graduated with a degree in psychology and no plan, New York Magazine reports. Among his first jobs: working as the "agar chef" in a cancer research lab, separating live male and female mosquitoes for the state of New Jersey, and "performing for kids as part of a puppet show about the disabled." It would not be his last time performing with puppets, as evidenced here.
Source: New York
In 1986, he moved to New York City to try to make it in comedy. His second night on stage at the Bitter End, he changed his name. "The host's hesitation at trying to pronounce my name the first night bothered me," he told Friend.
Source: The New Yorker
In the Los Angeles Times, he characterized his early days of standup as being "sort of like bronco riding: 'How long can I stay up here?'" He was hooked. "[T]here's an excitement of being uncensored and just speaking your mind," he said. "In some ways it's gladiatorial. I think that's what drew me to it."
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Source: The Los Angeles Times
Stewart became a regular at New York's Comedy Cellar and got his start in TV with an (uncredited) writing gig for "Caroline's Comedy Hour" on A&E. In 1992, he landed a spot hosting MTV's "You Wrote It, You Watch It" and, as New York Magazine puts it, spent 13 weeks "trying to rise above the fart jokes."
David Letterman became a fan, and Stewart became a regular on "Late Night," even auditioning to take over the show when Letterman left for CBS. He didn't get the job — that went to Conan O'Brien (a goofier and more "huggable," choice, observed the Washington Post) — but Stewart did get tapped to host his own show on MTV. And so "The Jon Stewart Show" was born. In case you missed it:
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Source: The Washington Post
After "The Jon Stewart Show" was cancelled, Stewart became a regular guest host of "The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder." He also acted, making guest appearances on shows like "Spin City" and "The Nanny." He was best when he was playing a version of himself, as he did on the "psuedo-realistic" sitcom "The Larry Sanders Show," Moment noted. Here he is, being (sort of) himself on "Larry Sanders."
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Source: Moment
He also appeared in a handful of movies, including the 1999 Adam Sandler comedy, "Big Daddy." Later, he would use every available opportunity to make fun of this phase of his career. "I'm a terrible actor!" he said on a recent episode of "The Daily Show."
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Sources: The Washington Post, The Daily Show
But while he was successful — in addition to his TV and movie career, he'd also written a New York Times Best Seller, "Naked Pictures of Famous People" — he hadn't found his niche. "Stewart was in danger of becoming another Gilbert Gottfried or Dana Carvey: talented comedians who never found the right vessel and just faded away," The New Yorker observed. Here he is in "The Nanny."
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Sources: New York, The New Yorker
And then, in 1999, 37-year-old Stewart took over "The Daily Show," replacing Craig Kilborn. After what New York calls a "slightly bumpy beginning," Stewart hit his stride. He steered the show away from its previous Hollywood focus and "came into his own" with his laser-sharp coverage of the 2000 presidential election.
Instead of leaning on what The New York Times called "random, easy-to-mock subjects," Stewart and his staff homed in on targets "who deserved to be targets," co-executive producer Kahane Cooperman told the paper. The shift paid off. In 2000, the show won its first Peabody. (It won again in 2004.)
Sources: The New York Times, Peabody Awards
In 2000, he married Tracey McShane, a veterinary tech turned author and animal rights activist. The two met on a blind date, according to Bustle, and four years later, Stewart proposed with a custom crossword puzzle, specially commissioned from the New York Times' Will Shortz. They have a son, a daughter, and various pets, including a three-legged rescue pitbull named Champ.
And then 9/11 happened. When "The Daily Show" returned nine days later, Stewart's opening monologue made headlines for capturing the country's collective grief. It was a "somber, halting speech that addressed the sudden absurdity of his jester role as well as its importance," Friend wrote.
Source: The New Yorker
Stewart wasn't the only one who rose to stardom from the show. Among the (many) other standouts were Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell, who starred together in the triumphant recurring segment, "Even Stevphen." Case in point:
Sources: Rolling Stone, The Daily Show
One of Stewart's most defining "Daily Show" moments happened off "The Daily Show." In 2004, he appeared on CNN's debate show, "Crossfire," and confronted hosts Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson, begging them to "stop hurting America." "You're partisan — what do you call it — hacks," Stewart said.
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Source: Crossfire
Among his best moments: his 2011 Glenn Beck takedown, his legendary 2009 Jim Cramer interview, and the "Guantanamo Baywatch" segment (featuring the puppet "Gitmo.") But no list would be complete without mentioning his coverage of 2006's "Dick-Cheney-shot-a-guy-in-the-face-gate," here:
Aforementioned episodes: The Daily Show, The Daily Show, The Daily Show, and The Daily Show
Not that Stewart has been above criticism — from all sides. (A recent Slate headline: "Why Jon Stewart Was Bad for the Liberals Who Loved Him.") But his most reliable enemy has been Fox News, which has repeatedly accused him of being a liberal propagandist in a "bromance" with Obama. It's been fodder for the show:
Sources: Slate, The Daily Show
So what's next for Jon Stewart? Stand-up, maybe — at least, that's what he told Judd Apatow in an interview published in Apatow's new book. His biographer says she wouldn't be surprised if he also directed another film. (His directorial debut, "Rosewater," was released last year.)
Sources: Business Insider, Business Insider
And then there's his new farm for rescued animals. (Yes, really.) According to a press release from the rescue organization Farm Sanctuary, the Stewarts bought a farm in New Jersey to house animals rescued from cruelty. Here, a dog fan attends Stewart's 2010 event, "The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" in Washington.
Source: Farm Sanctuary
Stewart may be leaving the show — comedian Trevor Noah takes over this fall — but his impact will continue. The "arena of political satire," declared the Washington Post, has been "radically altered." Not that there's any shortage of fodder for Noah. As Remnick put it, "the berserk never stops."
Sources: The Washington Post, The New Yorker
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