1-11-99 The Start of the Jon Stewart Era

When you think of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show you probably don’t think of this guy.

Hi. Remember me?

That’s Craig Kilborn, or Craigers as he liked to be called, and he’s the original host of the show. I remember when the show started because I wondered why that dude from ESPN was doing a comedy show.

The Daily Show started on the young Comedy Channel in the summer of 1996 and quickly became a popular destination for quirky news reports about Bigfoot fans and UFO witnesses and quick satires on the daily news. Toss in a celebrity interview and Kilborn’s famous (at the time) Five Questions and you had a good show.  Not always great, but good.  And nowhere near as political as it is now.

Then came the purge. Craigers left the show with his Five Questions in 1998 to take on The Late Late Show. Several others left including co-creator Lizz Winstead. Many other like the writers and relatively unknown at the time correspondents like Stephen Colbert held on as four weeks later a young man with a full head of dark wispy hair named Jon Stewart took over the gig.

The new era of The Daily Show began on January 11, 1999 with Michael J. Fox was the first guest and the top news story was Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial.  Ahh…the good old days when getting a hummer in the Oval Office was the top story.

Let’s take a trip back 11 years to see how the Jon Stewart Era began.  Here’s the first episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. You’ll see in video 4 (A Hastily Thrown Together Editorial) that Stewart addresses the changes to the show.

The videos are sadly broken up into 8 single videos and not one, handy episode.  So allow a sec for them to load below. Comedy Central videos are notoriously slow at loading.

The Final Blow – Strom Thurmond
The Clinton impeachment trial trudges into its sixth month, as Republicans introduce a caravan of witnesses clogging Washington traffic with their trailer homes.

Headlines – Popeye the Question
Popeye finally pops the question to Olive Oyl and gets a wild bachelor party thrown for him by one J. Wellington Wimpy.

While We Were Out – NBA Lockout
The NBA ends its lockout so the owners can buy another private jet and the players can spread their DNA

A Hastily Thrown Together Editorial – Change
Jon addresses concerns the viewers may have over changes he will bring to the Daily Show and the rest of their family.

Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox takes a shot at the Four Questions.

This Just In – Sitting Bulls#*!
Upon the death of litter-hating Indian Iron Eyes Cody, it is revealed that he was not an Indian at all — just an Italian from Louisiana.

The Beth Littleford Interview – The Munchkins
Beth Littleford sits down with four small, old, deaf munchkins from “The Wizard of Oz.”

Moment of Zen – Throat Guy
A man with a grossly enlarged throat sees the ear, nose, and throat guy.