1996: Comedy Central Introduces 'The Daily Show'
On this day in 1996, Comedy Central introduced The Daily Show, with host Craig Kilborn. Kilborn, a former co-anchor of ESPN's SportsCenter, opened the half-hour satirical news show with a comedic monologue. The balance of the show featured on-location and in-studio reports from the show's correspondents, which included the show's co-creator Lizz Winstead, Brian Unger, A. Whitney Brown, Beth Littleford, Mo Rocca, and Stephen Colbert.
In December, 1998, Kilborn left The Daily Show to replace Tom Snyder as host of CBS's The Late, Late Show. His replacement? Jon Stewart.