Jon Stewart's decision to leave the Daily Show came as a huge blow to fans of the show. He was considered something of a pioneer of the modern-day satirical news program, able to point out the absurdities in our 24-hour news cycle with both a critical eye and a deeply humorous one. But all good things must someday come to an end, and Stewart announced his official departure from the show earlier this year. Now it looks like he's ready to talk details on how that decision came about.

In an interview with the Guardian, Stewart pointed out that he no longer got the same kind of joy out his job anymore. He said, “It’s not like I thought the show wasn’t working any more, or that I didn’t know how to do it. It was more, ‘Yup, it’s working. But I’m not getting the same satisfaction.’” He continued, “These things are cyclical. You have moments of dissatisfaction, and then you come out of it and it’s OK. But the cycles become longer and maybe more entrenched, and that’s when you realise, ‘OK, I’m on the back side of it now.’”

While many viewers believe Stewart quit in order to pursue directing (he recently made his directorial debut with the premier of Rosewater, a film about Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari, who was arrested and tortured in Iran for releasing video to the BBC showing street rioting), he claims that isn't the case. He said the decision to leave had more to do with no longer being able to find a new way to cover what has become a stale, endless political cycle. He said, "Honestly, it was a combination of the limitations of my brain and a format that is geared towards following an increasingly redundant process, which is our political process. I was just thinking, ‘Are there other ways to skin this cat?’ And, beyond that, it would be nice to be home when my little elves get home from school, occasionally.”

Trevor Noah is set to succeed Stewart on the Daily Show later this year. And while Noah has already faced criticism for some offensive tweets he posted in the past, Comedy Central and Stewart have both come to the comedian's defense.

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