Why He's No. 12

A Renaissance man of the 21st century, Jon Stewart has repeatedly proven himself as an author and an actor. His books, America: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction and Naked Pictures of Famous People, have both become best-sellers and his hilarious roles in NewsRadio, Spin City and The Larry Sanders Show have all received critical praise.

"You just have to keep trying to do good work, and hope that it leads to more good work," he says. "I want to look back on my career and be proud of the work, and be proud that I tried everything. Yes, I want to look back and know that I was terrible at a variety of things."

Back Stage

In addition to more probable Emmy wins for The Daily Show, look for Stewart to continue putting in his two cents as an executive producer for The Colbert Report and Three Strikes, a new character-based comedy set in the world of minor league baseball.

"When we spot silliness, we say so out loud. We're not really Democrat or Republican. We're out to stop that political trend of repeating things again and again until people are forced to believe them."

- Jon Stewart

Forcaste

Forget about Charles Gibson and Brian Williams -- former stand-up comedian Jon Stewart has become America's most trusted source for news thanks to the uncanny success of The Daily Show. "I mostly work on writing the show," he explains. "We have a talented crew of writers and I'm like the managing editor. I am the fake Lou Grant of the fake news world." And the astounding nine Emmy Awards he's racked up over the course of his career serve as a small reminder of his unprecedented talent.