Jon Stewart's final 'Moment of Zen' is a heartfelt au revoir and a Bruce Springsteen dance party

Bruce Springsteen brought The Daily Show out on a high note — (Image credit: The Daily Show)

Jon Stewart didn't say goodbye at the end of his final Daily Show, and he didn't exactly sign off. He thanked his wife and kids for showing him the meaning of joy and explained to the audience his philosophy on his show as being a long conversation with his audience (that he admittedly hogged). "So rather than saying goodbye or good night, I'm just gonna say, I'm gonna go get a drink, and, um, I'm sure I'll see you guys before I leave."

And after more than a decade of leaving his co-conversationalists with their Moment of Zen, he finally said: "So here it is, my Moment of Zen." With that he turned the show over to Bruce Springsteen, who played, at Stewart's request, "Land of Hope and Dreams" — which is a good pick for anyone who found Stewart cynical — and "Born to Run," which quickly turned into a dance party, with guests and correspondents and audience members jumping and twirling with abandonment. And then Stewart said good night. Peter Weber

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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.