Thousands of people want Jon Stewart to jump into the 2016 presidential race — but not as a candidate.

Change.org user Mariel Waters started a petition calling for Stewart to moderate a 2016 presidential debate. The petition, which is addressed to the Commission on Presidential Debates, has already gained more than 85,000 supporters.

RELATED: Stephen Colbert ‘prays’ Donald Trump stays in the 2016 race

“We ask that the Commission on Presidential Debates consider and provide the opportunity to Mr. Stewart to host one of the three major presidential debates directly preceding the 2016 election,” the petition reads. “We also wish for a public response to this petition.”

Stewart ended a 16-year run as host of the satirical news program The Daily Show this August. The petition notes that, during that period, Stewart’s guests included “15 heads of state, 22 members of the United States Cabinet, 32 members of the United States Senate, [and] 7 members of the United States House of Representatives.”

This is not the first time that Stewart’s supporters have called for him to moderate a debate. In 2012, a number of Change.org users circulated similar petitions.

Some championed other roles for the talk show host. While one petition asked Stewart to delay his retirement from The Daily Show until Donald Trump dropped out of the 2016 race, another is encouraging Stewart to run for president.

The petition, which is promoting the hashtage #WeWantJon, is currently the fastest growing on Change.org.



Meanwhile, Stephen Colbert can continue to “light a candle and pray” that Donald Trump stays in the 2016 race until his new CBS late night show debuts in September.