News > Head honcho of Daily Show and Colbert resigns
December 1, 2006
Via TV.com:
Ben Karlin, who has been with Daily Show since 1999, will step down from both shows at the end of the year.
The king of "InDecision" has made his decision.
Ben Karlin, executive producer of Comedy Central hits The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, will resign from the jobs at the end of the year, says the network. Neither the network nor Karlin's talent agency, UTA, had any comment on reasons behind the unexpected departure.
Karlin will remain attached to both shows as a consulting producer, and current Daily Show head writer David Javerbaum will step into the role of executive producer. Comedy Central hasn't found a replacement Daily Show head writer, and some Web reports stated that Javerbaum is also leaving the show at the end of the year.
Karlin, a former writer for satirical newspaper The Onion, was hired by Jon Stewart when the comedian took over the hosting gig from Craig Kilborn in 1999. Karlin became executive producer of Daily in 2003, guiding the show to Emmy wins and critical acclaim, notably for "InDecision 2004" election coverage.
He cowrote the bestselling America: The Book and is a partner in Busboy Productions, the production company founded by he and Jon Stewart. Busboy is producing the baseball comedy series Three Strikes.
