Move aside, Feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus: August 6 will now also be known as the date Jon Stewart becomes the nexus of the temporal and the eternal, insofar as it means his leaving the nightly grind of The Daily Show and entering the realm of post-TV legacy. (And you can also eat a big meal if you want.) Stewart announced August 6 as his departure date on last night’s episode, with the lack of fanfare that has been typical of his leaving the show so far. Although, he did add that there will be a raffle, held as a fundraiser for the autism benefit Night Of Too Many Stars, that will land some people tickets to the farewell, and maybe even some photos with Stewart. And if that doesn’t entice you, a free hotel room.
Leaving in August tracks with what Stewart said recently about not wanting to stick around for the 2016 election, the sheer, samsara-like repetition of which is enough to make any man turn Buddhist and give up all his possessions, including his talk show. Now he can turn that earthbound task over to new host Trevor Noah and get out by August 2015, when the campaign will have only entered its 15th or 16th round of preliminary speeches and debates. And then, he’ll be free.