'Meet the Press with Jon Stewart' was almost an actual thing

With The Colbert Report ending soon, Comedy Central apparently almost lost another staple in its lineup to network television.

New York magazine reports that Jon Stewart was initially approached and in talks with NBC News president Deborah Turness to replace David Gregory on Meet the Press. Gregory, who had hosted the show since 2008, was replaced last month by Chuck Todd. According to sources, the Peacock was prepared to offer The Daily Show host virtually “anything” to make the deal happen.

Todd was officially named the new host on Aug. 14, and despite an exclusive sit-down with President Obama, the Sunday political talk show has struggled in the ratings behind ABC’s This Week and CBS’ Face the Nation. However, Stewart attracts a much younger audience to the network, and many doubted they would make the transition with him to the new, much earlier time slot.

Stewart’s contract with Comedy Central extends through next year after taking a brief break to direct the upcoming drama Rosewater.