Jon Stewart is filming his first comedy special in 21 years. It's hard to remember a time before Jon Stewart hosted The Daily Show. He took on the comedy news program in 1999, taking over from Craig Kilborn -- who had only been with the show for three years -- and hosted until 2015. During his time as host, the show focused more on politics, whereas it had previously been more of a human interest based show. The Daily Show remained popular with younger viewers throughout Stewart's tenure, to the point where many young adults got the majority of their news from Stewart rather than from a more traditional news source. By the time he left the show, it had won 22 Emmy Awards.

But Stewart's career is far larger than simply a political satirist. He hosted a few other shows before The Daily Show. He acted in several movies, including the Adam Sandler comedy Big Daddy and horror film The Faculty, and most recently, he popped up as himself in the Ultimate Edition of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. He has done voiceover for several animated shows, including The Simpsons, American Dad, and Gravity Falls. He's authored books, and currently -- along with his wife Tracey -- owns a sanctuary for abused animals. But before any of that, Stewart got his start in stand-up comedy.

And now Stewart is returning to his roots, with his first comedy special in 21 years set to air on HBO. He will also host Night of Too Many Stars on the network, a benefit for NEXT For AUTISM that will be filmed live at Madison Square Garden in NYC on November 18, 2017.

Stewart has continued to do stand-up during the last few decades, touring comedy clubs and college campuses. But he has not had a filmed special since Jon Stewart: Unleavened, which aired on HBO back in 1996. When asked about his return to the network after all this time, Stewart was enthusiastic:

“I’m really thrilled to be able to return to stand-up on HBO. They’ve always set the standard for great stand-up specials. Plus, I can finally use up the last of the Saddam Hussein jokes left over from my first special.”

HBO President of Programming Casey Bloys was also pretty excited to have Stewart return to HBO after all this time:

“We’re excited to bring Jon to the network with this pair of specials. We’ve all missed his uniquely thoughtful brand of humor.”

Night of Too Many Stars was first started by comedian and Triumph the Insult Comic-Dog puppeteer Robert Smigel. The biannual show includes all kinds of entertainment, including stand-up, sketch comedy, and short films to raise awareness of Autism as well as money for NEXT For AUTISM -- an organization that creates and supports programs meant to improve the lives of people living on the autism spectrum.

There is no title or date yet for Stewart's stand-up special. Night of Too Many Stars will air on HBO November 18, 2017.

Next: HBO Not Moving Forward With Jon Stewart Animation Project

Source: HBO