Throughout the history ofThe Daily Show, there have only ever been three full-time hosts of the program: Craig Kilborn, Jon Stewart, and Trevor Noah. During the summer of 2013,Jon Stewart, who returned toThe Daily Showpart-time in 2024, took three months off to direct a major motion picture, allowing correspondent John Oliver to sit in the anchor chair for a period of time.
Through his impressive hosting work, coupled with his similarly biting commentary skills, John Oliver established himself a worthy successor to Jon Stewart’s comedy throne, and opened the door for the greatest news commentary show of our generation,Last Week Tonight. Twelve years after its premiere on HBO, Oliver continues to prove that his two months as host ofThe Daily Showwere the most important of any in recent modern television.
John Oliver Guest Hosted The Daily Show In 2013
Jon Stewart Stepped Away To Film A Movie
After taking over hosting duties ofThe Daily Showfrom Craig Kilborn in 1999, Jon Stewart maintained full-time duties with no break for 14 years, until he decided to direct the filmRosewater.It was a personal project for Stewart, as it was the film adaptation of the bookThen They Came For Meby Maziar Bahari and Aimee Malloy, about Bahari’s Iranian imprisonment in 2009 after his interview with Stewart. During this time,John Oliver was selected to sit in as his guest host, bringing a change of scenery for the first time since before the new millennium.
Oliver presented the show with his biting satirical presence, and provided some of the show’s funniest bits of the year…
Oliver, who joined the show in 2006, was an incredibly popular correspondent and fit the anchor chair perfectly as the 1B host to Stewart’s 1A. For two months, Oliver presented the show with his biting satirical presence, andprovided some ofThe Daily Show’s funniest bits of the year, including a recurring gag regarding former New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner and his unfortunately discovered pseudonym “Carlos Danger,” ultimately getting him noticed by multiple networks looking to capitalize on his newfound popularity.
Oliver’s Critically Acclaimed Work Landed Him On HBO
He Was Quickly Noticed As Stewart’s Heir Apparent, And HBO Couldn’t Let Him Get Away
During his two-month span as fill-in host ofThe Daily Show, John Oliver received nearly universal acclaim for his episodes and his hosting skills, and many saw him asthe natural next step as a permanent hostof the show if and when Stewart decided to step away. Oliver reverted to his correspondent position after Stewart returned in the fall of 2013, but it was apparent that Oliver was on his way to his next big project.
HBO presented Oliver with an idea: a half-hour weekly news comedy show, fully uncensored, every Sunday, cut from the same essence and cloth asThe Daily Show. Oliver took the role andLast Week Tonightwas born, officially launching in 2014.The format presented him with the same level of analysis he provided in the Comedy Central anchor chair, but with no restrictions and no filters.
Last Week Tonight Has Evolved Past The Pop Culture Lexicon
The John Oliver Effect Is Real And Can Enact Serious Change
Since its debut in 2014,Last Week Tonighthas become a cultural phenomenonand the spiritual successor toThe Daily Show, covering a wide range of subjects, from tobacco to trains to the juvenile justice system. Oliver’s coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic became must-see television for a world navigating the new and uncertain time, while his web exclusives border on the absurd, including the history of the restaurant chain Chuck E. Cheese.
Outside his searing commentary, Oliver’s segments have seen real-world implications and changes as a result of his coverage, includingthe public outcry against the 2014 Net Neutrality Act,which Oliver’s segment is credited by some for bringing significant attention to and ultimately forcing the FCC to change course on its provisions. Although John Oliver himself calls the idea of the “John Oliver Effect” meaningless (viaYouTube), it’s undeniable thatLast Week Tonighthas changed the way the populace becomes aware of and engages with complex topics they previously may not have known about, and, in many cases, how to take direct action.
John Oliver Is One Of The Most Important Voices On Modern Television
He’s A More Meaningful Impact On Society Than Perhaps The Daily Show
That two-month host stint onThe Daily Showpaved the way for Oliver’s own brand of commentary,making him one of the most important voices on television. WhileThe Daily Showhas been credited for invigorating an entire generation to the ins and outs of politics in a post-9/11 world,Last Week Tonighthas become the current gold standard of comedic political dialogue, impacting both modern culture and a generation that feels beaten and apathetic by a system that has seemingly left them hopeless in the face of forces outside their control.
John Oliver has stated he has no plans to slow down, telling60 Minutes' Lesley Stahl earlier this year that “as long as America has systemic problems, we’ll be there poking fun at them.” As the world continues to change, and the people running things provide a never-ending supply of things to satirize, the unleashed, post-The Daily ShowJohn Oliver will continue to provide the commentary track to help us navigate, protest, and ultimately laugh at.
The Daily Show
Cast
The Daily Show is a late-night talk and satirical news television program that offers a humorous perspective on current events, politics, and various social issues, often through a blend of scripted segments and guest interviews.
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is a comedy late-night talk show created for HBO, hosted by the titular comedian. The show sees Oliver tackle complex socio-political and economic topics with a combination of seriousness and levity to illuminate issues affecting people worldwide. The show is also known for occasionally dipping into the hilariously zany with Oliver and his crew engaging in Hijinx, from commissioning mascots for a small Japanese town to creating a full musical rebuttal of a lawsuit targeted at their production.
