The Daily Show
The Daily Show
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The Daily Show

"When news breaks we fix it."

6.4
Yr 1996
Status Returning Series
News Comedy
Your Verdict

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Series Brief

Overview

The World's Fakest News Team tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and pop culture.

Status

Latest

  • The Daily Show announces billionaire micro drama spoof — July 21, 2026
Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 82 /100

Since its debut on Comedy Central in 1996, The Daily Show has established itself as a landmark in American late-night television. Initial reception to the series premiere praised early signs of promise, pointing to clever, straight-faced field reports and strong writing behind original host Craig Kilborn and co-creator Lizz Winstead.

Over time, the program underwent a major transformation, shifting from a lighter mock-newscast centered on pop culture to a sharp political powerhouse. This evolution—most famously cemented during Jon Stewart's tenure from 1999 to 2015—earned the show broad recognition for its satirical commentary on current events and media hypocrisy.

While the series is widely regarded as an influential cultural institution, modern audience reactions on review aggregators like Metacritic reflect some polarization, with a segment of viewers finding the humor or political tone off-putting.

“flashes of funny, including a cleverly straight-faced report”

“sharp satirical and comedic commentary on current events”

Why fans love it

The Daily Show occupies a singular space in the late-night landscape by viewing political developments through a lens of biting sarcasm. Since 1996, the series has refined an irreverent approach to national events, prioritizing satire over traditional reporting. It functions less like a conventional news program and more like a high-speed commentary on the absurdity inherent in government and media.

The program creates a platform where informative segments frequently dissolve into sharp punchlines. Contributors such as Frank DeCaro bring a specific comedic rhythm to these political segments, balancing pointed critiques with the informal energy of a late-night interview show. The result is a consistent interrogation of pop culture and public policy that avoids the polished detachment common in standard journalism.

Featured Players

Cast

Credited 75
Regulars 1
Longest run 2771 eps
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart
as Self - Host
2771 episodes
Trevor Noah
Trevor Noah
as Self - Host
1091 episodes
Craig Kilborn
Craig Kilborn
as Self - Host
57 episodes
Paul Giamatti
Paul Giamatti
as Self
5 episodes
William Kristol
William Kristol
as Self
9 episodes
Al Franken
Al Franken
as Self
10 episodes
Ted Koppel
Ted Koppel
as Self
7 episodes
Wanda Sykes
Wanda Sykes
as Self - Guest Host
8 episodes
Show 67 more
Tom Brokaw as Self 8 episodes Doris Kearns Goodwin as Self 6 episodes Bill Clinton as Self 9 episodes Mike Huckabee as Self - Guest 9 episodes Will Ferrell as Self 11 episodes Thomas L. Friedman as Self - Guest 7 episodes Reza Aslan as Self - Guest 6 episodes Michael Moore as Self 6 episodes Howard Dean as Self 7 episodes Paul Rudd as Self - Guest 10 episodes Jack Black as Self 6 episodes Bill O'Reilly as Self 10 episodes Richard Lewis as Self 8 episodes Ben Affleck as Self 9 episodes Lewis Black as Self 39 episodes John McCain as Self - Guest 11 episodes Al Sharpton as Self - Guest 7 episodes Denis Leary as Self 13 episodes John Hodgman as Self 6 episodes Jordan Klepper as Self - Host 122 episodes Ronny Chieng as Self - Host 95 episodes Angelina Jolie as Self 7 episodes Spike Lee as Self - Guest 7 episodes Desi Lydic as Self - Host 111 episodes John Leguizamo as Self - Guest Host 8 episodes Hillary Clinton as Self 7 episodes Jake Gyllenhaal as Self 7 episodes Maggie Gyllenhaal as Self 8 episodes Ta-Nehisi Coates as Self 7 episodes Fareed Zakaria as Self 15 episodes Michael Kosta as Self - Host 118 episodes Drew Barrymore as Self - Guest 6 episodes Madeleine Albright as Self 9 episodes Chelsea Handler as Self - Guest Host 6 episodes Samuel L. Jackson as Self - Guest 8 episodes Gabrielle Union as Self - Guest 6 episodes Ricky Gervais as Self 11 episodes Jerry Seinfeld as Self 6 episodes Brian Williams as Self 13 episodes D.L. Hughley as Self - Guest Host 6 episodes Larry Wilmore as Self - Correspondent 9 episodes Stephen Colbert as Self - Correspondent 47 episodes Colin Quinn as Self 6 episodes Rob Corddry as Self - Correspondent 17 episodes Sarah Silverman as Self - Guest Host 8 episodes Kal Penn as Self - Guest Host 8 episodes Charlamagne tha God as Self - Guest Host 15 episodes John Oliver as Self - Correspondent 25 episodes Steve Carell as Self - Correspondent 18 episodes Jaboukie Young-White as Self - Correspondent 9 episodes Ed Helms as Self - Correspondent 18 episodes Jason Jones as Self - Correspondent 25 episodes Marlon Wayans as Self - Guest Host 6 episodes Hasan Minhaj as Self - Correspondent 12 episodes Aasif Mandvi as Self - Correspondent 18 episodes Leslie Jones as Self - Guest Host 11 episodes Nick Offerman as Self - Guest 9 episodes Mo Rocca as Self - Correspondent 10 episodes Josh Johnson as Self - Host 41 episodes Grace Kuhlenschmidt as Self - Correspondent 25 episodes Vance DeGeneres as Self - Correspondent 10 episodes Dulcé Sloan as Self - Correspondent 16 episodes Jessica Williams as Self - Correspondent 16 episodes Rob Riggle as Self - Correspondent 11 episodes Troy Iwata as Self - Correspondent 23 episodes Roy Wood Jr. as Self - Correspondent 12 episodes Newt Gingrich as Self - Guest 7 episodes
Signal Match

Similarity

Where The Daily Show overlaps with other shows, and exactly what they have in common.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

sarcasm interview politics political satire late-night show irreverent informative
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
July 22, 1996
Status
Returning Series
Origin
US
TMDB Votes
651