Jon Stewart returns to ‘Daily Show’ with ratings boost
Did you miss him?
Comedian Jon Stewart is back from his summer-long hiatus from “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central, and his return Tuesday night generated a ratings boost.
“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” drew 2.02 million viewers Tuesday in its 11 p.m.-11:30 p.m. time slot, an increase of 24% compared with the series’ average audience for the year so far for episodes Stewart hosted.
About 1.04 million of those viewers were in the advertiser-coveted category of adults aged 18-49 for a rating of 1.0, up 15% compared with the rest of the year. The show brought in 637,613 viewers in the 18-34 demographic for a 1.1 rating, up 22%.
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Ratings increased compared with last year, as well. Total viewership was 21% more than the average for September 2012.
Stewart took the summer off from the satirical fake news show to film a movie in the Middle East, leaving heir apparent John Oliver in the hosting chair. Oliver hosted from June 10 to Aug. 15.
The episode opened with a skit in which Stewart emerged from his dressing room transformed, with a full-beard and speaking in a foreign accent.
Oliver, correspondent Jessica Williams and Stephen Colbert eventually brought Stewart back to normal, but not after failing to do so using a defibrillator made out of two Big Macs.
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