On the eve of Jon Stewart’s retirement from Comedy Central’s ‘The Daily Show’, a Hidden Remote staffer looks back at her experience with the fake news outlet, and what the show meant to a generation.

I can say with 100% certainty that Jon Stewart changed my life.

Teenage me was an avid watcher of late night talk shows. In the late 90’s, Conan was totally my jam. While I was waiting for Conan’s show to come on, I would flip around on my teeny tube TV, trying other shows like some sort of late-nite Goldilocks. Eventually, the original Daily Show with Craig Kilborn grabbed my attention.

To be completely fair, the first time I tuned in to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart it was to see if Stewart was going to continue on with Kilborn’s popular ‘5 Questions’ schtick. He didn’t; but what he did have was so much more.

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Where Kilborn had a droll and dismissive attitude, Stewart had a vibrant and energetic zest. He presented the ‘fake’ news in a funny, approachable way in a format that even a teenager could love. I had always dreaded watching the news. Even in a pre-9/11 world, it was a place for fear mongering, and a platform for stories of violence and hate. Whenever I watched the news it ultimately resulted in the most depressing hour of my day.

Jon Stewart changed all of that.

By the time I got to college, I found myself watching The Daily Show faithfully every night. I didn’t have a TV of my own so I squished into musty common room couches and vaulted onto illegally lofted dorm room beds in order to to gain access to my beloved show.

“[Jon Stewart] taught a generation how to voluntarily seek out the news without making it seem like a chore.”

Then something funny happened. My friends and I would talk after the show. In an era before Facebook and YouTube (yep, young friends, The Daily Show is older than YouTube) we would rehash and reenact parts of the show, not only discussing our favorite moments, but also debating over the ramifications of the news stories we had just seen. Even though Stewart was unabashedly partisan, he left room for discussion. He encouraged young viewers to think outside of the traditional media cycle, and actually care about world events.

I am not ashamed to say that in my youth Jon Stewart was frequently my sole source of news. He’s our generations Walter Cronkite and Johnny Carson all rolled into one. He’s the voice we trust because he doesn’t make us fear the news – he makes us laugh in the face of it. The news shouldn’t be feared. It should consist of a passing on of knowledge, a passionate debate, and maybe (just maybe) be a bit entertaining to watch. To this day, Jon Stewart is the reason I follow the news.

When Stewart leaves, who is going to make me laugh at the ridiculous clown car of Republican Presidential candidates? Who is going to lend perspective on ISIS? Who’s going to rank on Arby’s?! Guess it’s now up to me. After a decade and a half of obsessive Daily Show watching, I think I’m ready. Jon Stewart’s voice will be the beacon in my head, for better or worse.

Cheers to you, Mr. Stewart. You taught a generation how to voluntarily seek out the news without making it seem like a chore. Thank you for your contributions. You will be terribly missed.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart says goodbye to Jon Stewart tonight, Thursday, August 6, at 11/10c on Comedy Central.