February 11, 2015
News of Jon Stewart’s departure as host of Comedy Central's satirical newscast "The Daily Show" took over social media feeds Tuesday evening.
Stewart had broken the news earlier in the day during a taping of Tuesday night's show before a live audience, some of whom then broke the news to the rest of the world in a social media, whisper-down-the-lane way.
From 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., the announcement held our Twitter feeds captive, with more than 130,000 tweets about the topic, peaking at about 2,750 mentions per minute at 7:11 p.m. and simmering to about 1,200 tweets per minute by 8 p.m.
Got to be present when the great @TheDailyShow Jon Stewart announced his retirement. #OneOfTheGreats #JonStewart
— Jonathan Reyes (@Jonathan2Reyes) February 10, 2015
Just had the honor of being the great Jon Stewart's guest on @TheDailyShow, where he announced he's leaving. Emotional night. #jonstewart
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) February 11, 2015
In making the announcement, Stewart, 52, aptly
joked about his long-standing stint, which began back in
1999 when dial-up Internet was
a thing and Twitter was still seven years in the future.
"Seventeen years is the longest I have ever in my life held a job."
On a more serious note, he shared how much he’s enjoyed the job, adding that he feels it’s time to pass on the torch and focus on the more important things in life, like family.
"I'm gonna have dinner, on a school night, with my family — who, I have heard from multiple sources, are lovely people."
He will leave the network later this year, sometime between late July and December, although an exact date is not yet set and a replacement has not yet been named.
However, social media fans passed on some recommendations.
Hey @ComedyCentral, if you need a new Daily Show host I hear this guy is in need of some work pic.twitter.com/XClcUYXHLE
— Anna Orso (@anna_orso) February 11, 2015
Others
gave warnings on whom not to hire, and countless Daily Show devotees sent their best wishes to the celebrated
comedian and shared their sadness and fondest memories.
Washington is rigged for the big guys - and no person has more consistently called them out for it than Jon Stewart. Good luck, Jon!
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) February 11, 2015
Dear #JonStewart, I regret to inform you that we are unable to accept your resignation at this time. Sincerely, Literally Everyone
— Brenna Clarke Gray (@mittenstrings) February 11, 2015
I can only hope that Jon Stewart's decision to retire from The Daily Show is because he's running for president. #Stewart2016
— Free Raif Badawi (@ZombieCheney) February 11, 2015
Never forget: Jon Stewart had one of the greatest all-time anti-Philly rants, ever. http://t.co/1J8pUjDMf9 http://t.co/1J8pUjDMf9
— Joel Mathis (@joelmmathis) February 11, 2015
Sorta hoping Jon Stewart is leaving to play minor league baseball and will be back in two years with Dennis Rodman in tow.
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) February 11, 2015
I KNEW WHEN JON STEWART LEFT TO DIRECT THAT MOVIE HE WAS GONNA TRY SOMETHING LIKE THIS
— Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) February 11, 2015
