New Jersey is likely to play a big role in Jon Stewart’s future

Perhaps not ironically, Jon Stewart records his final episode of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show just three hours before Fox News broadcasts the first Republican presidential nomination debate tonight. 

        Fresh Air’s David Bianculli talks about Jon Stewart’s impact on television

Tonight’s debate, with 10 candidates participating, is likely to provide the kinds of rich material that Stewart has been known to satirize and will no longer do after this evening’s last episode before new Daily Show host Trevor Noah takes over in a few weeks.

The Lawrenceville, NJ, native has steered the show for 16 years, spoofing and critiquing politics, culture, and the news media’s coverage of them. 

Stewart and his wife, Tracey McShane, a Philadelphia native, have bought a farm at an undisclosed location in New Jersey. They plan to turn it into a sanctuary for rescued farm animals, according to a press release  from advocacy group Farm Sanctuary.

Stewart noted on a recent episode that McShane has a book debuting in the fall, called Do Unto Animals: A Friendly Guide to How Animals Live, and How We Can Make Their Lives Better, with some of the proceeds going to Farm Sanctuary. 

Stewart also has been an animal-rights advocate and recently directed his ire at Governor Chris Christie’s support of gestational pig crates. 

For more insights into Jon’s career at The Daily Show, check out today’s second hour of Radio Times. Host Marty Moss-Coane and her guests discussed why his viewers have put Jon on a pedestal and some of his program’s shortcomings that temper the mood. 

Also, today on Fresh Air you can hear a past interviews that Terry Gross did with Jon Stewart. Fresh Air on WHYY-FM airs at 3 and 7 p.m.  

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Watch the final episode: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart