UPDATE: Watch Jon Stewart’s Emotional Retirement Speech

UPDATE: Watch Jon Stewart's emotional announcement about leaving The Daily Show from the end of last night's episode. It's funny yet poignant — just like the Jon Stewart we've all come to know and love.

This post was originally published on February 10, 2015: At this afternoon's taping of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart let it slip that he'd be stepping down as host. He told the audience that he's retiring, and word soon started to circulate on social media. Now, Comedy Central has released a statement confirming Stewart's retirement on Twitter.

Stewart has hosted the satirical news series since 1999. He took time off to write and direct the film Rosewater  in the summer of 2013. John Oliver stepped in to guest-host, and that lead to an HBO show for Oliver that has garnered rave reviews. Stewart and The Daily Show have also played a role in launching the careers of Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Larry Wilmore, and many other comedians. Under Stewart's guidance, the show has won over 20 Emmy and Peabody awards. Neither Comedy Central nor Stewart have announced if this is a complete retirement or if Stewart is moving on to another gig. It also remains unknown if someone will be selected to take over as host of TDS. Stewart famously stepped into the role after Craig Kilborn vacated the spot in 1998. No matter what, this is the end of an era for whipsmart news coverage with a comedic slant, which Stewart helped pioneer. I, for one, don't know what I'll watch nightly at 11.  (EW) Read these stories next:
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