Vitamin J: A Daily Dose of Laughter with Jon Stewart

Everyone who loves comedy is mourning the departure of Jon Stewart from The Daily Show. His final episode was on Thursday, August 6, 2015.

He was born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz on November 28, 1962 in Trenton, New Jersey. Jon moved to New York City in 1986 to begin working as a stand-up comedian. He became the host of Short Attention Span Theater in the early 1990s. This was followed by a career leap to The Jon Stewart Show on Comedy Central network. He assumed Craig Kilborn's chair on The Daily Show in 1999. There have been over 2000 episodes of this award-winning show and it generated a spin-off, The Colbert Report.

Jon is a Sagittarius (aka Snatch-it-tarius) with sharp-witted Mercury near his Sun and a freshly-minted first-quarter Sagittarius Moon. That's a pile of funny bones! When Jon deadpans into the camera, you can see he's a bit horse-faced; and like a horse, he sometimes tosses his head to emphasize a joke. Stewart gets his wicked satiric edge from his super-potent Jupiter in Pisces in opposition to the Uranus-Pluto conjunction in Virgo. This conjunction is in the charts of everyone born from 1962 to 1965. In Stewart's chart it gets explosive prominence from the Jupiter opposition. Jupiter loves the liquidity of Pisces, where it helps Stewart concoct his combustible mix of politics and humor.

Stewart's Sun and Mercury form the arm of a mutable T-square to Jupiter and Uranus-Pluto. Self-made celebrities often have a T-square in their birth chart! This forceful configuration provides the motivation to overcome all obstacles to reach achievements. This configuration indicates he was fated to provide comic relief to the extreme tensions of the sustained transiting Uranus-Pluto square active from 2010 to 2015. Pew Research polls show that a large percentage of viewers watch the show as a news source. For many, the seemingly out-of-control rush of current events are only digestible when delivered in a comedic form. His natal Uranus and Pluto are in Virgo, the sign that rules digestion!

Jon Stewart's public persona is aided by Mars in Leo trine his Sag Moon. Satire, like Mars, has a biting edge that cuts and pokes. People in television and film often have an active Neptune in their natal charts, too. Stewart's natal Neptune is distinctive because it is conjunct his retrograde Venus in Scorpio. Both planets square Saturn in Aquarius. Saturn, the old ruler of Aquarius, gives a piercing intellect capable of slicing through Neptune's smoke-and-mirror tricks to reveal hidden truths. Venus retrograde in Scorpio has a tart, smarmy side that strips away the glitz so she can point out how prominent individuals make themselves look ridiculous. Comedy is an art-form that demands superb timing and the ability to craft clever suggestive phrases. Stewart's warmongering, Mars-ruled Venus is armed to the teeth with Scorpionic barbs! It gives him great Venusian pleasure when an Emperor's new clothes leave him naked and open to ridicule.

Jon's first appearance as host of The Daily Show was on January 11, 1999. He'd recently had a Jupiter return and this one opened a new door to an exciting new venue for his talents. Transiting Pluto was conjunct his Mercury so it was a game-changing career move. Transiting Neptune, Venus, and Uranus were clustered in the early degrees of Aquarius reinforcing his natal Scorpio-Aquarius square. Since Jon was writing and co-producing the show, his new job demanded his satiric A-game at generating witty insights on current news items. He roared into action and the show got its first Emmy in 2001.

Neptune dissolved his ties to the show. It entered Pisces in 2011 and has been slowly creeping over Jon's natal Jupiter and toward oppositions to his Uranus and Pluto in Virgo. By 2015, Neptune was square Jon's Mercury and Pluto's position in January 1999, and that was the end of that! Now pokey Pluto in Capricorn is trine its natal position Virgo. Each generation gets this aspect at a different age because of Pluto's irregular orbit. Stewart is getting his Pluto-trine-Pluto at age 53. He's developing something big that will be a major step in a different direction.

Saturn is about to exit Scorpio and enter Jon's Sun-sign Sagittarius. Stewart will assume major responsibilities in his new endeavors. He'll do more writing, a notable skill possessed by some Sagittarians. A second book might be in the works. Saturn likes to have as much control as possible! Uranus in Aries is moving toward a trine to Jon's natal Sag Moon in 2017. Uranus is associated with changing trends in television. Jon's ambitions may include developing a new kind of comedy show that's made available through emerging web-based streaming technologies. Uranus in Aries is a technological pioneer. The Moon represents the public and Sagittarius is connected to things that are exchanged with other nations.

There are some warning signs, however. Jupiter is a critical planet for Stewart. As it transits through Virgo, Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune re-activate his natal T-square. The autumn months of 2015 could bring uncertainty, confusion, and temporary retreat from the public eye. Neptune can generate the illusion of invisibility. It stirs up memories of the past and the need for quiet contemplation. Hosting a talk show for sixteen years is a significant achievement. Even with new projects in the wings, Stewart may struggle to establish a new working structure. As Saturn crosses his Sun and Mercury, he might be somewhat depressed by the loss of his regular working schedule. This transit may also shake down elements of his personal life and coincide with family changes and some tragic losses.

Jon Stewart's new endeavors will become visible in 2016. A confluence of transiting planets in earth signs in May 2016 will manifest projects in solid form. By October 2016, Jupiter in Libra makes a trine to Jon's natal Saturn. He will present audiences with something fresh and brilliant to make us laugh and see the humor in whatever targets he's selected for a satiric make-over.