Jon Stewart Explains Why Meet the Press Offer Stalled

Jon Stewart as host of a mainstream show like Meet the Press? In an interview with Rolling Stone, Stewart confirms that NBC was indeed interested in hiring him to replace David Gregory, and he explains why he never seriously entertained the idea:

• "I felt like that was one of those situations, where someone says, 'We really like what you do. Why don't you come over here and do something different, maybe something you don't do as well, for us?'"

Stewart adds that he understands the interest, given the modern blurring of news and entertainment, but he thinks NBC would have been "overcompensating on the entertainment side." It's not clear how far talks got, but New York had previously reported that the network was "ready to back the Brink's truck up." (Meanwhile, the movie that Stewart directed opens on Nov. 7.)