'Deranged Billionaire' John Hodgman says goodbye to The Daily Show, hello to Mars

Peter Weber, The Week US's avatar
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John Hodgman bids adieu to The Daily Show
(Image credit: The Daily Show)

Jon Stewart isn't leaving The Daily Show until August, but Daily Show regulars have already started leaving, most significantly Jason Jones. On Thursday's show, John Hodgman's delightful "deranged billionaire" character appears to have made his exit, too. [Update: "John Hodgman is not in fact leaving The Daily Show at this moment," Comdey Central clarified in an email. Presumably, he's not really going to Mars, either.]

"This show doesn't deserve an even slightly restless deranged billionaire," Hodgman said, lightly mocking Stewart's own farewell speech. "Bothering you, Jon, was the only reason I ever stuck around on this increasingly socialist cesspool of a planet. Now, with you leaving, it's time for me to rejoin my kind." On Mars. And no, he isn't a Martian — "We got rid of the Martians; they were tanking our property values" — just a deranged billionaire. If you watch, you will also learn the real reason behind the push for commercial space travel ("someone has to unclog our space toilets"), how billionaires travel in space, and, if you keep watching, Neil deGrasse Tyson's thoughts on why the geeks are inheriting the Earth. —Peter Weber

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Peter Weber, The Week US
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.