Back in August, NBC finally announced that David Gregory was officially leaving as host and moderator of Meet the Press. It had been a long time coming – MTP’s ratings sank dramatically during Gregory’s tenure and worst of all, no one cared. MTP wasn’t getting the good interviews and it wasn’t must-watch political commentary. Everybody just seemed old and angry and people just tuned out. Gregory was replaced by Chuck Todd – Todd has now been in the job for a month. But New York Magazine has a new story about what could have been an interesting/weird reboot for the show. They wanted Jon Stewart!!
This Sunday marks Chuck Todd’s one-month anniversary in the anchor chair at Meet the Press. Despite an opening-week ratings spike from his exclusive sit-down interview with President Obama, the Todd-helmed show has settled back into third place behind ABC’s This Week and CBS’s Face the Nation. This has been frustrating to NBC News executives, who at one point had considered going in a radically different direction with the show.
Before choosing Todd, NBC News president Deborah Turness held negotiations with Jon Stewart about hosting Meet the Press, according to three senior television sources with knowledge of the talks. One source explained that NBC was prepared to offer Stewart virtually “anything” to bring him over. “They were ready to back the Brink’s truck up,” the source said. A spokesperson for NBC declined to comment. James Dixon, Stewart’s agent, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
It makes sense that NBC would make a run at Stewart. The comedian-cum-media-critic possesses something that broadcast executives covet: a loyal, young audience. And it’s not the first time NBC tried recruiting him. According to sources, NBC Entertainment courted Stewart several years ago for a 10 p.m. variety show (the slot ultimately went to Jay Leno). This April, CBS announced Stewart’s Comedy Central colleague Stephen Colbert will replace David Letterman next year.
Though not a traditional journalist, Stewart can be a devastatingly effective interrogator, and his Meet the Press might have made a worthy successor to Tim Russert’s no-bulls–t interviews. During the home stretch of the 2012 campaign, Stewart grilled Obama for his wan presidential debate performance, asking: “Do you feel you have a stronger affirmative case for a second Barack Obama presidency or a stronger negative case for a Romney presidency?” And last October, Stewart’s clinical dissection of HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius laid bare the disaster of the Obamacare rollout, from which Sebelius never recovered.
Perhaps NBC executives were hoping Stewart’s sabbatical from The Daily Show to direct his first feature film last year indicated a certain restlessness they could capitalize on. Alas, they were unsuccessful. Stewart, whose Comedy Central contract extends through next year, declined NBC’s aggressive courtship. He probably recognized that much of his audience wouldn’t rush to turn on their televisions early on a Sunday morning. As Todd told a reporter last month, it’s a tough time slot for the young folks: “Are they rejecting the brand or are they just not getting up?”
I have great respect for the way Jon Stewart has rebuffed many, many efforts to get him to a different network, doing different programming. Jon was in his 30s when he got The Daily Show, which means he had years to find out that his Comedy Central gig is probably as good as it’s going to get. He’s made TDS into the jewel in Comedy Central’s programming. Comedy Central lets him do whatever he wants too – he not only gets a wide berth to cover what he wants on TDS, but he produces The Colbert Report and he’ll produce Colbert’s replacement, Larry Wilmore’s The Minority Report. Plus, Comedy Central loves him so much that they gave him time off to direct, and he’ll probably do more side-projects with Comedy Central’s blessing.
Now, all that being said… I can totally understand why NBC wanted him. Stewart would have been incredible as a moderator for Meet the Press. It sucks to be Chuck Todd today.
Photos courtesy of Getty, Fame/Flynet and WENN.
He absolutely knows he’s got a great thing going with Comedy Central. He’s not an idiot.
Also, I would love to be the middle of a Stewart/Colbert sandwich.
Back off!
Stewart is mine….
The only sandwich you will get is a nuckle one….
But I totally agree with what you said in the first sentence.
That is all
You can have Stewart if I get Colbert. When he’s done playing “Colbert” and un-gels his hair, he’s going to be quite handsome.
As for TV, they seem to think if they don’t hire Jon they HAVE to hire a stiff who never asks a followup question. How about a woman who’d be encouraged to be a little feisty?
That’d be a nice change.
Why not? The “real” newcasters’ news is just as fake as his is…and not as funny.
bam!
Back off both of you! I’m claiming him. Lol
I was in the waiting area in LAX a few years back and had the pleasure of sitting near him. He was very nice and sooooo handsome in person.
I’m pretty sure I could take on all 3 of you if it came to that, but couldn’t we just share?
Smart, funny, good-looking…he’s got the whole sexy package going on. Love him!
He occasionally visits the town I work in, but I’ve never met him. I’d probably lose it and act like a moron if I did.
I was first poster, ergo he is mine. I am willing to share when T. Hiddles is free from others on this site’s clutches.
Alternately, I will let you have turns when I’m focusing on the Colbert *nation*.
🙂
He’s said repeatedly that he’s a comedian, not a journalist. And if he took the job, it would have been held against him.
If it’s true that NBC offered him the job, clearly they think he’s up to it. But yes I can imagine the opposition it would incite if he actually was hired.
Good for him for not jumping to NBC. Joining a big news network just doesn’t seem his style.
I love him.
Wait I thought he was going to take over CNN? LOL didn’t that kickstarter get off the ground?
It would have weakened John Stewart’s bite to be on NBC. Can you imagine the “J. Fred Muggs” comparisons for being a comic? Plus, Stewart filling in on the Today Show during sweeps? Oh, the humanity!!!
I am a huge fan of his. I think he would have been amazing on Meet the Press because that show really needs someone to call people out on BS talking points in the moment as soon as they are said.
However, I don’t fault him for wanting to stick with the show that allows him total creative freedom. I think his “humorous” take on stories allows him to make big points on the issues, and if he didn’t have the ability to do his thing with graphics and montages, I don’t know if his points would be as well illustrated as they are now. His current format fits his message so well.
This.
I think he (or Colbert) would be amazing on a show like MTP. Very smart, well informed, quick, and not afraid to call out BS. But I too can’t blame him one bit for not wanting to do it and give up what he has now.
He really only calls BS on people who disagree with his worldview. He occasionally will mock those who are politically aligned with him if the situation is so glaringly wrong but overall he provides a very left slant.
I really would love to see someone call both sides out,that is not politically aligned with any group. Someone who sees the facts as they are and who has the budget to hire independent investigative reporters to verify the facts. NBC has cut their budget for investigative reporting so I really do not consider them a good source for news any more.
Stewart has been equally scathing to people and policies on both sides of the aisle. He doesn’t care what party you’re with – I’ve watched for well over a decade and have seen it many, many times.
Bridget, I would disagree. My husband and I both watch his show and my husband…most certainly not a right wing guy, even admits it. In terms of comedians who really offer political balance,I would say Leno was the most balanced. He literally would hit out at a Republican and then he would knock a Democrat in the same show. Personally,I really wish comedians would stay away from politics because politics these days make people very angry…..not funny.
I am glad not to see Stewart sell out like Colbert did.
I think it’s a little different with Colbert, as he is playing a role. It’s like an actor who doesn’t want to be on the same show for 20 years. He probably felt it was time to stretch his wings and do something different, especially something that wasn’t a caricature.
Am also relieved that Stewart is staying where he is. My whole family is heartbroken that Colbert is leaving to do that boring late nite talk show. His own show is so unique, so hilarious. Late nite talk shows are a dime a dozen now.
Colbert didn’t sell out. He’s going to be GREAT and revolutionize the latenight format. Just like he and Stewart revolutionized the news / faux news format. It didn’t exist until they invented it. [Don’t count the jerk before Jon.] Actually, Lizz Winstead invented it, but they made it big.
Anyone capable of being “Steven Colbert” the character has no motivation to sell out.
He was on “Strangers with Candy” with Amy Sedaris — does that sound like a sellout to you?
Yeah I would assume if he left it’s only because of negotiations going in his favor. It’s not like someone said, “We’ll pay you to be a new version of the last host” and he was like “YES!”. This probably means the show is getting a major overhaul for the better. It was dated ten years ago.
I loved Chuck Todd’s response to this on Twitter yesterday:
“If it’s Sunday, it’s your moment of zen.”
Jon Stewart makes things better. He’s smart and funny and isn’t afraid to make enemies while spotlighting inefficiency, fraud and stupidity. Every smart woman and man I know crushes on him…
He rules the Comedy Central roost and has helped create and launch some incredible talents that have collectively changed the entertainment and political landscapes. I hope he finds real fulfillment in being a mentor and producer… it’s an amazing contribution that will have a more profound effect on society than just getting a “bigger” show with a bigger paycheck.
This just shows you the cynicism and utter contempt for the public that characterizes NBC “News”. Lets hire the admitted Fake News Guy, and nobody will be able to tell the difference. It would be hard to surpass the comedy gold that Meet The Depressed has been since Tim Russert had his grabber. They can all go to h e LL.
This makes it sound like it was a possibility. This was never going to happen. He’s never going to go anywhere where he can’t say exactly what he wants to and do what he wants to. Plus, loyal viewers or not, it would take a stellar reputation to tempt him to leave, not money (he doesn’t need it).
NBC isn’t really known for being any better than the rest of the news outlets (save fox, which is always bottom of the barrel). There’s nothing to gain by going to NBC. Weird as it sounds, Comedy Central is where he can actually do good and sometimes groundbreaking work. Plus moving to “official” news would mean letting go of one of the Daily Show’s main defenses when news programs get shitty about TDS pointing out their fails; it wouldn’t be a comedy show anymore. Basically he’d be putting all kinds of restrictions on himself.
If an offer was actually made to him, I’m sure Jon got a hearty laugh out of it.