The Daily Show has salvaged its civic participation project from the meddling of Paramount corporate.
Monday Night’s Daily Show saw Jon Stewart announce the TDS ‘InDecision’-branded “Take A Seat,” a program that aims to encourage people to run for local office.
As we’ve reported, “Take A Seat” had been devised months ago and was set to launch with three partner organizations on opposite sides of the aisle before it was scuttled two weeks ago.
Paramount brass reportedly felt that working with partisan organizations created “too much risk” for the company as it seeks to have its merger with Skydance approved by the FCC, which is now under President Trump’s control.
At the time it was reported that Paramount was planning to move ahead with a revised version of the project in partnership with frequent late-night partner HeadCount—a move that has now come to fruition.
“We’re starting a little nonpartisan initiative in partnership with HeadCount, which is not what it sounds like,” Stewart announced on Monday night’s show. The host then directed viewers to a website for the program, which invites users to sign up for information on uncontested local elections and how to run for office.
“Take A Seat” falls under Paramount’s “Paramount Act” arm, which has launched various mental health, community action, LGBTQ+ and civic engagement initiatives under company subsidiaries like Paramount+, MTV, and Showtime.
It’s not the first time The Daily Show has used its ‘InDecision’ branding to launch an on-the-ground project that aligns with the ideals of its production team. Last year, the show partnered with animal rescue organizations while on the road to cover the 2024 election, setting up pet adoption events dubbed “InDogCision 2024: Rescuing Democracy.”
