Comedy Central Renews Jon Stewart Through 2010
October 19, 2007 
Jon Stewart has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him at The Daily Show through 2010:
“Jon Stewart is an extraordinary talent, and Comedy Central is extremely fortunate that he will continue to lead ‘The Daily Show’ team through 2010,” said Michele Ganeless, president of Comedy Central.
“I love doing this show. I feel like I work with and for the best in the business,” Mr. Stewart said in a statement. “I look forward to using this extension to having great fun at President Colbert’s expense.”
This contract extension puts to rest rumors that Stewart would take over NBC’s Late Night after Conan O’Brien moves to The Tonight Show in 2009, as I previously wrote.
However, it does ignite rumors of a Late Night with Jon Stewart after 2010, if David Letterman were to retire when his contract expires that year. Stewart is rumored to be after the Late Show seat and this current extension lines him up to take it, if it were offered to him by CBS.
This also means that Late Night will need a host for the 2009-10 season. With Conan taking over the earlier time slot and Stewart spending that year at the Daily Show, one would think the likely successor to O’Brien would be Carson Daly, who signed a two-year extension to host Last Call with Carson Daly through 2009 back in August.
However, NBC Executive VP of Late-Night and Primetime Series Rick Ludwin has commented that former SNL cast member Jimmy Fallon is considered the frontrunner to take over Late Night in 2009, likely relegating Daly to Last Call or nothing after 2009.
