John Oliver leaving ‘The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,’ will host weekly HBO show
This is the news that so many likely saw coming, and we can now say that it is finally official: After a stint this summer guest-hosting “The Daily Show” to extremely strong reviews and solid ratings, John Oliver is leaving the Comedy Central show that he was a part of for over seven years. As for the reason why, it has nothing to do with his stint on “Community“; instead, it’s all about the new announcement that Oliver will host a Sunday-night talk show on HBO that will cover news, politics, and current events.
In a statement announcing the new show (which will launch in 2014), Oliver was quick to point out the folks that really gave him a start in America:
“I’m incredibly excited to be joining HBO, especially as I presume this means I get free HBO now. I want to thank Comedy Central, and everyone at The Daily Show for the best seven and a half years of my life. But most of all, I’d like to thank Jon Stewart. He taught me everything I know. In fact, if I fail in the future, it’s entirely his fault.”
Meanwhile, the network’s president in Michael Lombardo was also keen to celebrate having a guy in Oliver on HBO that would appeal to the network’s many subscribers:
“We weren’t otherwise searching for another weekly talk show, but when we saw John Oliver handling host duties on The Daily Show, we knew that his singular perspective and distinct voice belonged on HBO. We are extremely excited that John has agreed to make HBO his home.”
The folks at “The Daily Show” were probably well aware that there was little chance that Oliver would go back to his normal gig as a correspondent after spending a whole summer hosting the show; so why didn’t they try to pick him up for their own show? Maybe they did, but an our of fake news a night for them is really enough, and they’ve found seemingly a great partner to the shows that they have already in “@Midnight” with Chris Hardwick.
The smartest move for HBO is putting this on Sundays, where it will not have the competition of any of the other late-night shows, but there is still a demand for those who don’t want to wait until Monday to have some laughs and put off going to bed.
Are you bummed to see Oliver leaving his post, or more excited to see his new venture? Share your thoughts below!
Photo: Comedy Central