Born:
November 28, 1962
Jon Stewart Overview:
Jon Stewart is one of the country's foremost political comedians. As host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, Stewart offers subversive political humor four nights a week and has become as relevant -- if not more -- than any pundit on cable. His commentary has become part of the political conversation in America, and though he's clearly passionate about the issues he jokes about, Stewart insists he's still just a comedian. He's 20-year veteran of stand-up comedy, where he draws influence from Woody Allen; his comedy is often about growing up neurotic and Jewish and the trouble its caused him in adulthood.
Quick Jon Stewart Facts:
- Jon Stewart was born in New York City and raised in New Jersey.
- He began performing stand-up in 1987 at The Bitter End in New York City.
- He got his first job writing for TV in 1989 and his first on-camera job in 1991.
- In 1999, Stewart took over as host of Comedy Central's political comedy series The Daily Show.
- Stewart has hosted the Grammys twice and hosted the Academy Awards in 2006 and 2008.
Jon Stewart's Early Days:
Jon Stuart Leibowitz was born in 1962 in New York City. Raised in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Stewart was subject to harassment growing up as one of the only Jewish kids at his high school. He attended College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he graduated from in 1984 with a degree in psychology. For the next few years, Stewart held a series of random jobs including construction worker, puppeteer, bartender, high school soccer coach and busboy. But Stewart -- who had always been known as the 'funny guy' in school -- wanted something more.
A Stand-up Is Born:
Stewart moved to New York City in 1986 to pursue a career in stand-up, but wouldn't actually hit the stage until 1987. He had his stand-up debut at New York's The Bitter End, where he first created the stage name "Jon Stewart." For the next two year, Stewart performed stand-up every night at the Comedy Cellar, where he often wouldn't take the stage until 2 a.m.
Jon Stewart Moves to Television:
With his stand-up act pretty well honed, Stewart began pursuing work in television. He was hired as a writer for Carolines Comedy Hour in 1989, broadcast from Carolines in New York. Two years later, Stewart was hired as the host of Comedy Central's Short Attention Span Theater; the following year, he hosted You Wrote It, You Watch It for MTV, starring the comedy troupe that would eventually become The State.
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart:
Following several failed series, Stewart was hired to host his own MTV talk show in 1993. The show was a big hit for the network and eventually moved into syndication. That incarnation was short-lived, though, was canceled after dismal ratings in 1995.
In 1999, Jon Stewart was hired to replace Craig Kilborne on Comedy Central's flagship series The Daily Show, which quickly became known as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The show became an even bigger success and launched the careers of several cast members, including Stephen Colbert, Steve Carrell and Ed Helms.
In 2004, Stewart and the staff members of The Daily Show published a mock history textbook called America: The Book. It was one of the top-selling books of 2004, and the audio book version won a 2005 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.
Additonal Jon Stewart Facts:
- Stewart published his first book in 1998, a collection of short essays called Naked Pictures of Famous People. It became a New York Times best-seller.
- With Stewart's participation, The Daily Show has won a total of 11 Emmy Awards for both Outstanding Comedy Series and Writing for a Comedy Series. The show has also won two Peabody Awards for their coverage of the presidential elections in 2000 and 2004.
- Stewart has had small roles in a number of films, including Big Daddy, The Faculty, Playing By Heart and Half-Baked.
- He had a recurring role as himself on Garry Shandling's HBO comedy The Larry Sanders Show.
- Stewart was a finalist to take over the NBC Late Night slot left when David Letterman went to CBS. It eventually went to Conan O'Brien.
