By Joe Andrew

A heartfelt Jon Stewart closed an episode of “The Daily Show” on Feb. 10 in an unsuspecting way. The audience, unaware of what was about to happen, sat on the edge of their seats in anticipation, and later became sad as Stewart announced that he will be stepping down from the show after 17 years.

The New York City native graduated from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va. in 1984. Stewart then did a short span of stand up comedy until 1993 when he launched The Jon Stewart Show, MTV’s debut talk show.

In 1999, Stewart became the anchorman of The Daily Show and America instantly fell in love with the host of the “most trusted name in fake news.”

Stewart has had an immense impact on Comedy Central in many ways, the first of which being that The Daily Show was one of the network’s highest grossing programs during his tenure. Also Stewart’s ability to discover new talent, like Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Samantha Bee, and more is legendary.

A memorable moment in Stewart’s career was his reaction to the tragedies of 911, in which he cried on air and expressed how grateful he was to simply be free. It was that ability to transition from a comedic style, to a harder news style, that made people see who he truly was. He was loved after that.

Comedy Central must now look for the next host. Speculation surrounds candidates like Tina Fey and Steve Carell, just to name a few. These would be great choices, but the question is if it would work, considering these two actors have large movie careers. It is unknown if they would be willing to give that up for a fake nightly news gig.

Furthermore, Comedy Central producers said they do not want to cast “the next Jon Stewart.” The network wants to cast someone that can take the program to new heights and be the rebirth of the show, instead of simply living in Stewart’s footsteps.

In a recent interview with the LA Times, Michele Ganeless, the president of Comedy Central summed that up when she said, “We have to find the next evolution of The Daily Show.”

Determining who will be the next to take Jon Stewart’s chair as host is tricky. A hard working and “restless” host, as Stewart put it, is what is needed.

“It is time for someone else to have that opportunity,” said Stewart.

I would love to see Tina Fey take his seat. I don’t necessarily think that will happen but she would be the best fit.

She has the personality and dry, satirical humor needed to excel. This talent was exemplified by her role in the Saturday Night Live’s, “The Weekend Update.”

Stewart will be missed, but I know I speak for all of his fans when I say that we wish him the best