Jon Stewart Returns to The Daily Show After Kimmel Suspension Sparks Censorship Row
Jon Stewart made a surprise mid-week return to The Daily Show on Thursday night, using his trademark satire to tackle fears of censorship that are gripping American late-night television.
The veteran comic, who usually only fronts the Comedy Central programme on Mondays, took the stage just 24 hours after ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely.
The move came in the wake of Kimmel’s pointed remarks about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, fuelling accusations that networks are bowing to political pressure.
The episode opened with a parody voiceover declaring: “We have another fun, hilarious administration-compliant show.” The line set the tone for the night, a barbed jab at the growing sense that broadcasters are being forced to toe the line.
In true Stewart fashion, the set was transformed into a gaudy parody of Donald Trump’s style, complete with mock gold engravings.
The host nervously fidgeted throughout, exaggerating the image of a presenter too frightened to misspeak.
He lavished ironic praise on the former chairman, deriding Trump’s attacks on American metropolises and his deployment of the National Guard. The squib was pure Stewart, right, smelling, and unmistakably political.
This is the attitude Dems need as comedians get fired one by one… pic.twitter.com/NhFXga9k2r
— Draft Jon Stewart 2028 (@Stewart_2028) September 19, 2025
The night’s guest was Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa, author of How to Stand Up to an Oppressor, who has spent her career backing press freedom in the Philippines.
Her appearance underlined the programme’s larger theme, the dangerous state of free speech.
Stewart’s return comes as late-night TV faces turbulent waters. ABC’s suspension of Kimmel followed a revolt from affiliate stations and a statement from Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr, who insisted the network could face consequences for “misinformation.”
Kimmel himself has remained silent, though his defenders argue his comments were misinterpreted. They note he noway explicitly tied the indicted shooter, Tyler Robinson, to right-sect politics.
Meanwhile, CBS has lately verified it’ll pull the plug on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2025.
Officially, the network blamed financial strain. Yet the timing raised eyebrows; the cancellation was announced just days after Colbert criticised a settlement involving Trump and CBS’s parent company.
Colbert hit back at Carr’s remarks on Disney programming, posting a fiery clip online. “Well, you know what my community values are, buster? Freedom of speech,” he told his audience, earning thunderous applause.
Even David Letterman, Colbert’s predecessor, has spoken out. At The Atlantic Festival in New York, he warned bluntly: “We all see where this is going, correct? It’s managed media. It’s no good. It’s silly. It’s ridiculous.”
For Stewart, this mid-week gem was a rare return to the meter he formerly possessed. The Emmy-winning host steered The Daily Show from 1999 until 2015, cementing it as a foundation of political lampoon.
His decision to come back daily in the run-up to the 2024 U.S. presidential election has stirred fresh attention.
And now, amid dormancies, cancellations, and allegations of state-driven suppression, his voice may be more vital than ever.
Whether the shake-up in American late-night will calm down or escalate further remains uncertain.
