"Since his arrival at The Daily Show in 1999, Jon Stewart has become one of the major players in comedy as well as one of the most significant liberal voices in the media. Biographer Lisa Rogak charts his unlikely rise to stardom, following him from his early days in New Jersey, through to his years as a struggling standup comic in New York. And she charts his string of near-misses -- passed over as a replacement for shows hosted by Conan O'Brien, Tom Snyder, and even the fictional Larry Sanders -- before landing on a half-hour comedy show that at the time was still finding its footing amidst roiling internal drama. Stewart transformed The Daily Show into one of the most influential news programs on television today. Drawing on interviews with current and former colleagues, Rogak reveals how things work -- and sometimes don't work -- behind the scenes."--Publisher.