‘If you smell something, say something’: Jon Stewart closes final Daily Show

Out of all the famous people that Jon Stewart managed to squeeze into the first half of his final Daily Show episode, Stephen Colbert undoubtedly stole the show.

“You can’t stop anyone because they don’t work for you anymore”, Colbert said as Stewart squirmed in his chair.

“It was the best show finale I’ve ever seen”, said David Prince, 25, of Queens.

“He’s the voice of reason in what’s become a much crazier climate in just the news and just people overall”, fan Pete Zitelli, who landed tickets for Stewart’s last show, said.

Now, don’t get me wrong, the parade was nice and amusing, but the entire audience was waiting with bated breath for one man: Stephen Colbert. “All of us are better at our jobs because we got to watch you do yours”. ‘You good?’ Stewart asked the former correspondent.

On Wednesday’s penultimate show, Stewart said he his crew had built a “monument to evisceration” and that they had left “no target undisembowled”.

The extended 50-minute finale featured a veritable who’s who’s of “Daily Show” correspondents past, including Steve Carell, Ed Helms, John Oliver, Matt Walsh, Larry Wilmore, Rob Corddry, Josh Gad and Olivia Munn.

As the show went on, Stewart took us back stage to meet the staff. And then he gave us one last monologue, about “BS” being everywhere.

For many young Americans the show was their only source of current affairs, Stewart striking a chord with a generation disaffected by traditional news media.

This doesn’t seem particularly consistent with a recent interview in which the network’s second-highest rated host Megyn Kelly confessed to crying over an 11-minute clip of Stewart’s.

South African comedian Trevor Noah has been announced as Stewart’s successor.

She described turning on “The Daily Show” at the end of the day and hearing Stewart “articulating everything I was thinking and feeling about”. This country’s had many tests before that and after that and the reason I don’t despair is because this attack happened. “I wanted to tell you why I grieve but why I don’t despair”.

“You can’t say that many negative things about people unless you’re really unhappy about something“, he opined.

Wyatt Cenac showed up to say goodbye to Jon Stewart on final Daily Show (EW): “On Thursday, however, Cenac appeared for an intentionally awkward farewell”.

That small section was rather heartfelt, and Stewart’s discomfort was evident, but it ended up being a ideal moment.

He also referenced Bruce Springsteen’s notion of having a career-long conversation with his fans before introducing “my moment of Zen” – a closing performance by Springsteen and the E Street Band of “Land of Hope and Dreams” and “Born to Run”.