On Monday’s NBC Today, 9 a.m. ET hour co-hosts Tamron Hall and Willie Geist mourned Jon Stewart’s final week anchoring The Daily Show. Hall proclaimed: “Oh my goodness, it is the end of an era. In a few days Jon Stewart will bid farewell to The Daily Show and all of us.” Geist added: “It felt for a while like it was way off in the distance when he first announced it and now here it is.”

Hall was particularly worried about Stewart’s absence following Thursday’s first Republican presidential debate: “What the saddest thing about this is that the Republican first debate is Thursday night. So we don't have Jon Stewart Friday.” Geist realized: “Oh, that’s right...Wait a minute, I didn’t think about that.”

He and Hall pleaded for the liberal comedian to stay. Geist declared: “Oh, he should finish Friday.” Hall agreed: “He's got to move it back one day, please.” Geist added: “Wow. Jon, think about it, man.” Hall concluded: “Jon, don’t do it. One more day.”

Of course The Daily Show never aired on Fridays, so there would no post-debate show anyway.

Here is a full transcript of the August 3 exchange: