Will Brian Williams Replace Jon Stewart as Host of The Daily Show?

Before the program announcing his retirement from the show even aired, people were asking: who will replace Jon Stewart as host of The Daily Show?

While no final date was announced, aside from from simply sometime in 2015, speculation regarding Stewart's replacement was underway as soon as the first tweet of the news surfaced.

Will it be one of the current correspondents?

John Hodgman isn't technically a correspondent, but has been a regular guest for the past decade and would offer a change in direction should producers be looking to reinvent the show within its current form. Jason Jones and Samantha Bee, who are married to one another, could be co-hosts. Jones has been with the show since 2005 and has guest hosted, while Bee has been with the show since 2003 and is the longest running correspondent. Both are familiar faces who could offer continuity.

John Oliver would have been considered the logical replacement had all this happened, oh, a year ago. Oliver was the guest host while Stewart was on leave directing his film Rosewater. Thing is, Oliver is now under contract with HBO for The Daily Show inspired program Last Week with John Oliver. Can contracts be worked around? Surely. If Oliver wanted to give up his one night a week show on premium cable for a daily show on basic cable, he could do so. Would he, though?

And then there is Brian Williams. NBC recently announced that he would be suspended for six months due to the helicopter kerfuffle. William's brings instant national name recognition, has proven comedic timing, and may well be exploring new options. Add to this the friendship that he and Stewart share, and this particular scenario may very well be the most likely. It's almost easy to picture, isn't it?

That said, consider what Jon Stewart looked like the year he started on the show. Maybe this gig is harder than it's worth...