The Daily Show has scored its highest ratings on Comedy Central following Jon Stewart’s return – with 1.3million people tuning in to watch him roast Tucker Carlson on Monday.

It was Stewart’s second time on the hosting chair since his surprise announcement that he was returning to host the show on Mondays after leaving in 2015 and being replaced by Trevor Noah.

While some post-2015 episodes of the The Daily Show totaled more viewers, they did so with the help of other Paramount-owned networks such as MTV and TV Land, as reported by Variety.

Instead, Monday’s high ratings came from Comedy Central viewership alone, without streaming numbers, per Nielsen’s Live + Same Day data.

Stewart’s first episode back, which aired on February 12, reached a total viewership over 3 million after three days on multiple platforms, making it likely that his second episode back will see similar growth over the next days.

The Daily Show has scored its highest ratings on Comedy Central after Jon Stewart’s return 

The Daily Show has not had a permanent host since Trevor Noah left last year

On Monday, the comedian put the boot into Tucker Carlson, branding the former Fox star a ‘d***’ for his softball interview with the ‘brutal and ruthless’ Russian president Vladimir Putin.

The Daily Show host did not pull his punches as he accused Carlson of ‘capitulation to power’.

‘I know I’ve said this before, but you’re such a d***,’ Stewart said.

‘Disguise your deception and capitulation to power as noble and moral and based in freedom.’

The liberal comedian and the right-wing broadcaster have played out a decades-long feud since Stewart also called him a ‘d***’ on an infamous episode of Carlson’s Crossfire program in 2004. 

Stewart hosted the Comedy Central show between 1999 and 2016, returning earlier this month to replace Trevor Noah. 

Comedy Central said Stewart will host every Monday, with a rotating line-up of show regulars covering the rest of the week, and serve as an executive producer.

The comedian made the masses laugh for 16 years as host of The Daily Show with his impersonations of George W. Bush and comedic exchanges with correspondents Stephen Colbert, John Oliver and Samantha Bee. 

The comedian made the masses laugh for 16 years as host of The Daily Show with his impersonations of George W. Bush and comedic exchanges with correspondents Stephen Colbert , John Oliver and Samantha Bee

‘Jon Stewart is the voice of our generation, and we are honored to have him return to Comedy Central´s The Daily Show to help us all make sense of the insanity and division roiling the country as we enter the election season,’ said president and CEO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios Chris McCarthy. 

Under Stewart’s leadership, The Daily Show won more than 20 Primetime Emmy awards.

Stewart posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, ‘Friends. After much reflection I have decided to enter the transfer portal for my last year of eligibility. Excited for the future!’

Noah left The Daily Show after seven years at the helm during which the late-night infotainment show’s viewership declined dramatically.

Since his departure comedians such as Kal Penn, Charlamagne Tha God, Leslie Jones, Sarah Silverman and Marlon Wayans have rotated hosting the show.