Jon Stewart does not sound like he is losing sleep over “The Daily Show” potentially being canceled if Skydance’s acquisition of Paramount is approved.
Stewart, on the Thursday episode of his “The Weekly Show” podcast, was asked if he is concerned the deal would spell the end of the long-running comedy program, in part because of his recent criticism of Paramount and President Donald Trump. The 62-year-old comedian said he is not worried about it.
“You know, unfortunately, we haven’t heard anything from [Paramount or Skydance]. They haven’t called me and said like, ‘Don’t get too comfortable in that office.’”
He continued: “Let me tell you something — I’ve been kicked out of s–ttier establishments than that. We’ll land on our feet.”
Stewart added that he’d “like to believe” that, if Skydance were looking at “The Daily Show” from a business perspective, it would value the program. Only a few other shows, like “South Park,” are bringing attention to Comedy Central, he said.
“If they’re looking at it as as purely a real estate transaction, I think we bring a lot of value,” Stewart said. “That may not be their consideration. They may sell the whole f–king place for parts.”
His thoughts were shared with about five minutes to go in his latest podcast episode.
Stewart has criticized Paramount for recently settling a lawsuit with Trump for $16 million in order to help its merger with Skydance gain regulatory approval. The president had sued Paramount over a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris last year, which he said was deceptively edited, claiming the interview was “false advertising and tampering” and caused him “mental anguish.”
On last week’s episode of “The Daily Show,” Stewart asked, “Why didn’t [Paramount] fight it?” He then joked to former “60 Minutes” reporter Steve Kroft — who called the settlement a “shakedown” — “I’m obviously not a lawyer, but I did watch ‘Goodfellas.’ That sounds illegal.”
