The Daily Show is marking its 30th birthday tonight—but first, it would appreciate viewers doing a little homework.
“Join us tonight at 11pm as we celebrate 30 years of The Daily Show,” the Comedy Central series just wrote in an Instagram post teasing Wednesday night’s show. “Try to watch every episode before this one, so it makes sense.”
That leaves fans only a few hours to get through three decades’ worth of episodes, beginning with the show’s July 22, 1996 premiere, hosted by Craig Kilborn.
As Bill Carter has chronicled this week in a three-part history for LateNighter, drawing on conversations with key players from across the show’s major eras, The Daily Show evolved from a scrappy Comedy Central experiment into the most influential program in modern late-night television—surviving multiple hosts, major shifts in tone and format, and a period of uncertainty before its current resurgence.
Correspondent-host Desi Lydic, who’s been with The Daily Show for nearly eleven years, will helm tonight’s anniversary episode, with Elliot Page joining as the guest.
Though the show’s been mum on its specific plans for tonight, executive producer and showrunner Jen Flanz tells LateNighter that additional anniversary material will continue to roll out over the rest of the summer.
The 30th anniversary episode of The Daily Show airs tonight at 11 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central and will stream on Paramount+.
