Jon Stewart says goodbye on Thursday, after 16 years on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" that established him as America's foremost satirist of politicians and the media.
Stewart, 52, announced last winter that he was getting restless and it was time to move on. Trevor Noah replaces him as host next month.
Armed with a razor-sharp wit and research team adept at finding video evidence of hypocrisy or unintentional comedy among the nation's establishment, Stewart turned a sleepy basic-cable entertainment show into a powerful cultural platform. He turned the spotlight on himself during his penultimate show Wednesday, noting how institutions he had supposedly eviscerated were stronger than ever.
"The world is demonstrably worse than when I started," Stewart wailed. "Have I caused this?"
His only solace was that his beloved New York Mets were in first place on the day of his last show.