The Daily Show is returning from its holiday break tonight with a timely booking.
The Comedy Central series will launch its 31st season Monday night with Jon Stewart back in the anchor chair and Senator Mark Kelly as his guest.
The Arizona Democrat’s appearance comes just hours after news broke that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has initiated administrative actions that could lead to a reduction in Kelly’s military retirement rank and pension—moves Kelly’s allies have denounced as politically motivated.
Kelly, a retired Navy captain, has come under fire from the Trump administration following his participation in a video reminding active-duty service members of their obligation to refuse illegal orders. Hegseth labeled the video “seditious” in a social media post Monday morning, announcing a formal letter of censure and the possibility of further disciplinary action under military law.
That will be Kelly’s second late-night appearance in as many months. In a late November sit-down with Jimmy Kimmel shortly after the aforementioned video’s release, Kelly shrugged off claims—amplified on social media by President Donald Trump—that his participation in the video amounted to “treason,” telling Kimmel: “I’m not backing down. We said something very simple, that members of the military need to follow the law. We wanted to say we have their backs.”
Ronny Chieng is set to assume Daily Show hosting duties Tuesday through Thursday as the show begins its third season with its senior correspondents taking turns behind the anchor desk on a weekly basis. As we’ve reported, Comedy Central announced late last year that Stewart and The Daily Show’s entire news team had signed on for Season 31, which will run through the end of 2026.
Here’s the show’s full guest lineup for the week:
- Monday, Jan. 5: Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.)
- Tuesday, January 6: Park Chan-wook (director, No Other Choice)
- Wednesday, January 7: Stephen J. Dubner (author and host, Freakonomics Radio; promoting Freakonomics Twentieth Anniversary Edition and the live show Better in Person)
- Thursday, January 8: Lucy Liu (actor and producer, Rosemead)
The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central, and is available to stream the next day on Paramount+.
Visit our lineups area for updated guest listings for all the late-night shows, and subscribe to our daily newsletter to receive stories like this in your inbox.
