Farewell to one of the best in showbiz.
Jon Stewart ended his tenure as “Daily Show” host on Thursday, but before he signed off, he sat down with Stephen Colbert for a one last tête-à-tête.
Colbert, a former long-time “Daily Show” correspondent, surprised Stewart during the live taping with an off-script tribute to his friend.
“You said to me and to many others here years ago never to thank you because we owe you nothing. It is one of the times I’ve known you to be dead wrong,” said Colbert.
“We owe you because we learned from you. We learned from you, by example, how to do a show with intention, how to work with clarity, how to teach people with respect.”
And it it weren’t for Stewart, Colbert explained, he would be an Appalachian turd miner suffering a mean case of “dung lung.”
“You are infuriatingly good at your job,” Colbert continued. “And all of us who were lucky enough to work with you for 16 years are better at our jobs because we got to watch you do yours, and we are better people for having known you.
“You are a great artist and good man,” he said.
“I know you are not asking for this, but on behalf of so many people whose lives you changed over the past 16 years — thank you.” The audience cheered as the “Late Show” successor finished his speech.
Stewart, obviously overcome with emotion, barely had time to react before he was swept up in a group hug by the show’s cast and some of its most high-profile alumni.
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