Jon Stewart to leave The Daily Show after 16 years

Los Angeles

HOST Jon Stewart will leave the satirical and pioneering The Daily Show later this year, his bosses at Comedy Central said on Tuesday, calling him a "comic genius". The 52-year-old, who took time off in 2013 to direct a film based on an Iranian-Canadian journalist's nightmare in a Teheran jail, has hosted the award-winning show for 16 years.

"His comedic brilliance is second to none," said a statement on the channel's Twitter feed, after Stewart made the announcement during a taping of the show.