Nowadays I watch almost all the episodes of The Daily Show but that was not always true. The show has been going on for a long time and Jon Stewart took over the role of host from Craig Kilborn on January 11, 1999 and steered it in a more political direction. I am not sure when I started following it regularly.
I thought it might be fun to see what Stewart’s first show was like and it is below. The first show dealt with the Lewinsky affair and the attempted impeachment of president Clinton. Stewart’s style has definitely changed over time. The pacing was a little slower than it is now and he did less mugging for the camera, taking a more deadpan approach.
(This clip aired on January 11, 1999. To get suggestions on how to view clips of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report outside the US, please see this earlier post. If the videos autoplay, please see here for a diagnosis and possible solutions.)
As for The Colbert Report, I have been watching it since its inception in 2005 because I had enjoyed Colbert’s appearances as a correspondent on The Daily Show and can even remember the first episode quite well. The Colbert persona he inhabits has not changed over time.
(These clips aired on October 17, 2005)
When Colbert was on the Daily Show he had a segment titled “This Week in God”. I recall the Daily Show trying for a few weeks to continue the segment with someone else, but it died a quiet death. I missed that segment, but greatly enjoyed the Colbert Report. And now he is moving on to even bigger and, hopefully, better.
The Daily Show has proven to be a launch pad for some very talented comedians.