When Jon Stewart announced he was leaving The Daily Show last February, he probably couldn’t have known how crazy the upcoming presidential election would get. He did, however, see some of the writing on the wall. The final weeks of Stewart’s run coincided with Donald Trump deciding whether to get into the race. “If Trump’s not running,” Stewart joked at the time, “then these last shows are going to be nothing but a cup of hot sadness.” But Trump did run and, as of this week, has secured his place as the presumptive Republican nominee for the presidency. And with the Democratic Party experiencing its own internal turmoil over presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton—the hashtag #DropOutHillary was trending all day Wednesday—the nation is now facing one of the most divisive elections in recent memory. And, for the first time in 16 years, Jon Stewart isn’t here to help us laugh about it. But maybe that will change soon.

HBO chief Richard Plepler gave an interview to CNN’s Brian Stelter Thursday where he expressed his wish to have Stewart—who signed a four-year deal with the cable network—back on air before the November election. “I’m hopeful,” Plepler said with a wry, knowing smile. But he clarified that Stewart isn’t eager to jump back into his old role just so he can take shots at Trump. “I think he’s clamoring at the bit to do something that he knows is going to stand out and be a new part of his artistic expression.”

No matter when he returns, Stewart’s TV presence likely won’t do anything to affect the outcome of the presidential race. It’s early, but polls have Clinton easily outstripping Trump and most outlets concede that Trump is not really a credible threat to her. But Stewart could save the nation from some of the divisive rancor that has sprouted up around this election.

Politico posits that even if Clinton were to win, her victory would not inspire the atmosphere of hope that attended Barack Obama’s presidency. “She may still face a hellish four or eight years in office without a crisper organizing theme that pledges fundamental change, because so many voters in the opposition party—and her own—will be nursing bitter disappointments from Day One. She’s already in danger of pre-alienating the Democratic base, with many Sanders supporters vowing never to support her.”

An air of conflict and fear, both between parties and within them, has hit a fever pitch this election with the media often gleefully throwing fuel on the fire. In a recent parade of media apologies over handling the election incorrectly, the Times’ Jim Rutenberg said the political media was “wrong, wrong, wrong” because it “lost sight of its primary directives in this election season: to help readers and viewers make sense of the presidential chaos; to reduce the confusion, not add to it; to resist the urge to put ratings, clicks and ad sales above the imperative of getting it right.” Many of the biggest names in late-night comedy went soft on Trump. For Stewart—and very few other comedy news hosts like John Oliver and Seth Meyers—“getting it right” seems like the number-one priority.

Sure, it’s no guarantee that Stewart’s return will restore peace to a fractured America. In fact, by his own admission, it might be too late to save us. When asked if he would consider returning to TV if Trump were elected president, Stewart said last September, “I would consider getting in a rocket and going to another planet because clearly this planet has gone bonkers.” And it’s also worth noting that Stewart’s new HBO project is no Daily Show or Last Week Tonight. He’ll be producing short-form, technologically innovative content. Still, his is a guiding voice that is dearly missed and, according to Plepler, Stewart has “free rein to do whatever he wants.” Could healing the nation be at the top of his list, please?