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Does Jon Stewart Have His Next Career Lined Up? Here’s What He’s Been Up To

May 26, 2015  •  Post A Comment

After announcing the end date for his long run as host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart is already working another job. The New York Times reports that Stewart — who will remain the host of “The Daily Show” into August — is working with military veterans to help them land jobs in show business.

Stewart, who has been an outspoken opponent of the war on terror, is running a program that helps steer veterans of the war into television, The Times reports.

“’The Daily Show’ developed the program over the last three years without publicizing it, but now, because Mr. Stewart is preparing to leave the show, he has taken it into the open, urging other shows to develop their own programs to bring more veterans into the industry,” the story reports.

Stewart told the publication: “This is ready to franchise. Please steal our idea. It isn’t charity. To be good in this business you have to bring in different voices from different places, and we have this wealth of experience that just wasn’t being tapped.”

The report adds: “Veterans are less likely to struggle to find work after war — their unemployment rate has been lower than the comparable civilian rate for years — but few land in the entertainment industry, according to the industry group Veterans in Film and Television.”

The report cites Karen Kraft, a board member with the group, noting that one reason for the low number of veterans in the entertainment industry is because the years when they might be doing internships or entry-level jobs are taken up by military service.

“The phenomenon may also be connected to a cultural divide that has kept quirky, left-leaning Hollywood and the high-and-tight world of the military from connecting,” The Times adds.

The report notes that while Stewart has been vocal about his opposition to the war, “he has been an advocate for troops, visiting the wounded at hospitals, visiting Arlington National Cemetery and in 2011 doing a comedy tour of bases in Afghanistan.”

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