During Tuesday’s night taping of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart’s studio audience learned the news that would shortly become public: The comedian, who never shied away from stinging commentary on the state of politics and the news media, was leaving the host chair after 17 years, saying, “in my heart I know it is time for someone else to have that opportunity.”
“I’m gonna have dinner, on a school night, with my family — who, I have heard from multiple sources, are lovely people,” he joked of his plans.
At the end, the show cut to a clip of a monkey washing a cat, mixing the lighthearted with a serious moment in true “Daily Show” form.
Stewart fans took this tone to heart and started the #JobsForJonStewart hashtag on Twitter, offering career advice from the sensible to the silly.
On the heels of Brian Williams’ six-month suspension without pay from NBC Nightly News, many championed Stewart to replace Williams.
Last year, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour asked Stewart a similar question: Would he ever host a show like “Meet the Press,” as was, at the time, being speculated?
“Like yourself? Like a real journalist?” he asked.
He continued, “That, I don’t believe, is in danger of happening. Yeah. That I can pretty confidently state that I will not have my own ‘Room of Situations.’ That’s just a name I came up with, a ‘Room of Situations.’ “
Other Twitter users also suggested Stewart step into a more serious role, including as the president of the United States.
And, because Twitter trends topically, the hashtag came rife with Left Shark and other of-the-moment references.