Entertainment

See Jon Stewart's First Year On 'The Daily Show'

by Kaitlin Reilly

It's (almost) time to say goodbye: Jon Stewart is officially leaving The Daily Show . The news was reportedly confirmed by Stewart himself during a filming of the series on Tuesday, and, shortly after reports broke, Comedy Central too released a statement declaring that Stewart will be leaving the mock news program later in 2015.

The host, who took over for previous Daily Show host Craig Kilborn, has been with the program since 1999 but now is seemingly moving on. President of Comedy Central Michele Ganeless took to the network's official Twitter account to make a statement on the host's retirement, stating:

...Jon has been at the heart of Comedy Central, championing and nurturing the best talent in the industry, in front of and behind the camera. Through his unique voice and vision, The Daily Show has become a cultural touchstone for millions of fans and an unparalleled platform for political comedy that will endure for years to come... He is a comic genius, generous with his time and talent, and will always be a part of the Comedy Central family.

The President also stated that while Stewart would be leaving the show officially, he will remain at the program until mid-2015. As Ganeless states above, the Daily Show will not end once Stewart's name is removed from the title — it will endure, even if he was the reason why so many tuned in.

Now that Stewart is moving on, it seems fitting to look back on some of his early work with The Daily Show. Stewart started his hosting gig 1999, years before anyone could watch clips from the show on Hulu or on-the-go on their iPhones, and re-watching clips from some of his earliest shows are kind of a trip. Check out these videos from his first hosting year, because everything that has a beginning as great as this one must come to an end:

Who else is totally devastated to see Stewart go?