In response to Jon Stewart’s Daily Show retirement announcement, original TDS co-creator Lizz Winstead wrote a piece today called “Finally, He Gets His Moment of Zen†that’s a warm appreciation for Stewart’s dedication to the show, his staff, and material throughout his run as host. Winstead left the show prior to Stewart’s hiring, but she credits him with turning The Daily Show into what it is today:
You are very clever Mister Jon Stewart. There are many wonderful things those think piece writers will say about Jon. The thing I like most is the joy that comes through when he speaks of his staff. I didn’t work with him on TDS, but did produce on his syndicated show, and he always made us all feel it was our show too.His dedication to the crew, sacrificing quite a bit of personal life to make this show great is obvious, but what should also be commended is how hard he worked to make sure when the day comes and he says goodnight for the last time, he will have built a team that has the skills and confidence to shepherd in a new host and together they will build an exciting new chapter in the life of this wonderful show.
Winstead closes by saying “Madeleine Smithberg and I may have laid the foundation of The House of Daily, but it was Jon who turned it into an architectural landmark.†Read the rest of the piece over at Blue Nation Review.