The Jon Stewart Show
 |
| The Jon Stewart Show | |
|---|---|
| Starring | Jon Stewart |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original release | |
| Network | MTV (1993-94) Syndicated (1994-95) |
| Release | 1993 – 1995 |
The Jon Stewart Show was a short-lived talk show hosted by comedian Jon Stewart on MTV. It premiered in 1993 and became the second highest-rated program on the network behind Beavis and Butt-Head.
In 1994, Paramount canceled The Arsenio Hall Show and with new corporate sibling MTV (through MTV parent Viacom's acquisition of the studio), launched an hour-long syndicated version of The Jon Stewart Show. The syndicated show featured such segments as "Talk Show Jon", "The Moron Walk", and "Raymond and Ass." It was broadcast in 11:30PM timeslots by some local stations, and was canceled in June 1995 because the show was competing with The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Show with David Letterman.
One of the "bumpers" (brief advertisements for the show) showed a number of old men in a pool, followed by the tagline, "The Jon Stewart Show -- More fun than a bunch of old guys in a pool.".
Guests
Celebrity guests who made appearances on the show included Howard Stern, David Letterman, Courteney Cox, Lorenzo Lamas, Bronson Pinchot, Conan O'Brien and William Shatner. The show was also popular for showcasing the type of musical guests that usually were not seen on other talk shows, such as Blind Melon, Killing Joke, Buffalo Tom, Diamanda Galás, King's X, Slayer, Van Halen, Sunny Day Real Estate, Naughty by Nature, White Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Redd Kross, Dom Pachino, Faith No More, Rocket from the Crypt, Ol' Dirty Bastard, The Breeders, Belly, The Afghan Whigs, The Notorious B.I.G., Guided by Voices, Warren Zevon, Danzig, Face to Face, Helmet, and Pop Will Eat Itself, as well as fringe sub-culture guests such as Rev. Ivan Stang of the Church of the SubGenius. The eleven members of (then-upcoming) MTV sketch show The State appeared as the last guests on the final episode of the half-hour version of the show–themed margarita night, during which the audience was gifted with margaritas and cabs home–asking Stewart for and receiving permission to "trash" the set with various implements of destruction.
One of the more memorable episodes featured a performance by Marilyn Manson, who threw instruments around the stage, and ended with a piggyback off-stage by Jon Stewart. The final episode featured a lengthy interview with David Letterman, who rarely appears on talk shows other than his own.
The show was produced by Madeleine Smithberg, the creator of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
