Jason Jones Leaving ‘Daily Show,’ Is Fake News In Peril?
Jason Jones announced that he will be leaving the Daily Show, and he might take his wife, Samantha Bee, with him. The future departure is the latest blow to the world of fake news, which has already lost Stephen Colbert and will soon lose Jon Stewart. Will comedic news ever be the same?
Jason Jones announced his leaving in a two-part Twitter message.
For 9 & 1/2 years, I have worked at one of the greatest TV shows of all time. But… It is time for me to go. 1/2
— Jason Jones (@jonesinforjason) February 24, 2015
That said, I am ecstatic to announce that I’m about to make another great show over @tbsveryfunny 2/2
— Jason Jones (@jonesinforjason) February 24, 2015
Jones’ new project is still untitled, but according to Time Magazine, Jason Jones and his wife Samantha Bee — also a correspondent on the Daily Show — will be executive producers. It will star Jones as a father taking his family on a road trip, which goes terribly wrong, and it will show on TBS.
Rolling Stone reports that Samantha Bee hasn’t said whether she’ll be leaving the Daily Show too. Her responsibilities on the new show might be limited enough to give her time to sporadically file fake reports. Still, Comedy Central is likely losing two excellent candidates to replace Jon Stewart as the Daily Show host.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Jon Stewart recently declared on his show that he would be leaving later this year. Despite numerous rumors, nobody seems to know exactly what the host will do next. Comedy Central also appears to have been left in the dark.
The network is still struggling to find a new host. Jason Jones is now out of the running, and mostly likely, so is Samantha Bee. Jessica Williams reportedly took herself out of the contest. Stephen Colbert left his Comedy Central show to take over for David Letterman on the Late Show. Larry Wilmore is still establishing his new show, the Nightly Show. John Oliver renewed his contract with HBO.
Finding someone internal to the Daily Show, like Jones, seems unlikely, but outside talent might be equally difficult to find.
The shake-up in fake news has many wondering what the future holds. For 16 years, Stewart has led the critically acclaimed show, angering conservatives, particularly Fox News, with his unrelenting research team that constantly found inconsistencies, failed promises, and pure hypocrisy.
The Colbert Report served as a fun house mirror to cable news punditry. Long-time fans of the show can’t help but wonder what great material his team would come up with for the worsening Bill O’Reilly scandal — Colbert’s character was largely inspired by O’Reilly.
Jason Jones had his own important niche. The fake news reporter managed a number of stories that seem incredible in hindsight. He secured an interview with the reclusive former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev — an interview in which Jones was severely threatened.
Likewise, Jason Jones managed to convince Iranian authorities he was a spy — or at least he was used as an excuse to imprison a vocal critic of the regime.
Between Jason Jones and Jon Stewart, can anyone step-up to fill the vast void in fake news reporting? We won’t know for sure until next year.
[Image Credit: Getty Images]
