Jon Stewart

In 1998, Comedy Central's Daily Show was a mix of TV news satire, celebrity interviews and a liberal dose of frat-boy smarm delivered by its host, ESPN refugee Craig Kilborn. It was a funny, irreverent show to be sure, though nothing particularly memorable. But by 1999, Kilborn moved on to CBS' Late Late Show, and a nebbishy comic from New Jersey took over The Daily Show's anchor chair to little fanfare.

At the time, Jon Stewart was best known as the ill-fated successor to Arsenio Hall's late night-talk show. In the intervening years, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart has become a bellwether of political satire, and Stewart has established himself as one of the country's premiere comedians.

With Peabody, Emmy and Grammy awards to his credit, Stewart has parlayed his celebrity into hosting duties for the Grammys and Oscars, a bestselling book (America: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction), and a notorious mano a mano with political pundit Tucker Carlson, which helped seal the fate of CNN's debate show Crossfire.