Daily Show host Jon Stewart found himself facing emotions even he didn't quite understand while announcing his upcoming departure on Tuesday night.
"What is this fluid?" he said as he teared up. "What are these feelings? Frankenstein angry!"
News of Stewart's exit leaked just before the episode was taped, leading him to open the show by telling his home viewers, "You probably know things these people don't yet."
He proceeded through the rest of the show as usual, before informing the studio audience of the news, thanking Comedy Central executives for his 17-year run hosting the program.
"In my heart I know it is time for someone else to have that opportunity," he said, drawing cries and gasps. He said no specific date had been set for his final show.
"This show doesn't deserve an even slightly restless host," he explained. "And neither do you."
While he said he did not foresee himself missing being on television every day, he anticipated missing his staff. Stewart also did not name any specific plans for his post-show life, aside from one close to home.
"I'm going to have dinner on a school night with my family, who I have heard from multiple sources are lovely people," he said.
Watch Stewart's announcement, as posted online on Tuesday, below.
