Comedy Central‘s The Daily Show won’t have Jon Stewart behind the desk this week.
The show said Monday that Stewart “recently tested positive for Covid-19, therefore he will not be hosting this week and will return on Monday, August 12.”
Michael Kosta, one of The Daily Show’s correspondents, will instead host the program all week. Scheduled gusts include author Roxane Gay and actor and former Daily Show correspondent Ed Helms.
Stewart returned to The Daily Show earlier this year, striking a deal with Comedy Central to host on Monday nights, with members of the show’s team hosting on other nights. Ratings have improved for the program, and not only on nights where Stewart hosts.
While the COVID production protocols that had been in place since 2020 have largely been loosened, the virus has still kept some talent off the air in recent months. Late last year, for example, Stephen Colbert had to cancel a week of The Late Show after testing positive.
The Daily Show, of course, has a team of correspondents (like Kosta) that can step in for Stewart, something Colbert can’t do.