The Daily Show Host Jon Stewart Makes A Big Reveal About His Program That Helps Veterans Enter TV

The Daily Show host Jon Stewart has been quite open about his criticism of Iraq war but not many people know that he has been involved in the welfare of veterans too. The television show host has been secretly running a program that helps war veterans get entry into the television industry. Stewart's big revelation came on Monday via a special interview published in The New York Times.

Stewart ran the program without anyone's knowledge for past three years. He did not want anyone to know about it earlier but feels now is the right time to make it public because he is preparing to leave the show. He wants other television shows to follow his lead and do similar stuff.

"This is ready to franchise. Please steal our idea," Stewart told the newspaper in an exclusive interview. He further added that it would be wrong to call his efforts “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," he said. The 52-year-old American comedian and talk show host feels that it gets difficult for veterans to get the right kind of jobs in television -- an industry that is “closed off to veterans.”

He further says that the veterans miss out on getting into good television programs because “they were busy at war” and his program is the best “way to give them that chance.” To get his program running, Stewart hired at least two war veterans. He also praises them for being “less whiny” than his other employees.

The New York Times talked to one such war veteran Nathan Witmer, who served with the Army in Iraq. He returned home from his duties in 2010. Witmer went through the internship program for veterans at “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” and was later hired by them. He now wants to do “anything with movies” as it was always his dream.

For any questions/comments on the article, you may contact the writer at: n.tewari@ibtimes.com.au