Jon Stewart Returning to Standup for Two New HBO Specials
Jon Stewart’s first attempt at a new HBO series may have been scrapped, but the former Daily Show host isn’t down and out. Not only will Stewart return to standup for the first time in twenty-one years with a new HBO special, but also headline a Night of Too Many Stars.
HBO announced at its TCA press tour that Stewart will headline his first standup special since the network’s 1996 Jon Stewart: Unleavened, though no date or location has yet been confirmed. At the very least, Stewart will host a Night of Too Many Stars benefit for NEXT For AUTISM, presented live from Madison Square Garden on Saturday, November 18. Said Stewart:
I’m really thrilled to be able to return to stand-up on HBO. They’ve always set the standard for great stand-up specials. Plus, I can finally use up the last of the Saddam Hussein jokes left over from my first special.
Previously, Stewart was commissioned for daily HBO shorts toward an Onion-style series described as a “parody of a cable news network.” Working with cloud graphics company OTOY Inc. proved more difficult than HBO and Stewart thought, to which the network subsequently confirmed the project dead.
As stated, Stewart’s four-year deal with HBO remains in place, so how might HBO and Jon Stewart follow the specials?