This week, Daily Show alum, Ed Helms, is bursting onto movie screens everywhere with a starring role in the dramedy, Cedar Rapids. Yes, he's been on The Office for years and he took part in that ensemble smash, The Hangover, but starring in his own movie is a big step. Helms is on his way to becoming a major comedic actor and he can thank Jon Stewart and friends for shoving him out into the public eye and setting him out on his way to stardom.
Helms isn't the only one who's enjoyed this honor -- The Daily Show boasts a long list of current and former correspondents, many of whom have reached greater levels of fame thanks to the satirical program. Let's take a look at where it all started for Ed and these other smiling faces, shall we?
Ed Helms
Helms has been Nard-dogging it up alongside fellow Daily Show alum, Steve Carell since 2006 on The Office and thanks to that, he's won over countless television viewers. However, like we said, it all got going when he started appearing alongside Stewart on the Comedy Central flagship show. We've already given Helms his due praises up top, so sit back, relax and enjoy a little vintage Ed.
Stephen Colbert
Colber(t) wasn't always running his own Repor(t) -- that's right dummy, those Ts are silent. Before he became the hard-hitting comedian and pretend pundit he is today, inspiring legions of fans to start online petitions calling for him to run for office and lead political rallies, he forged that character over his eight years at The Daily Show. Shortly after that he lent his talents to the short-live cult classic, Strangers With Candy in 2005, before nabbing a deal for his own show, which has since become The Daily Show's irreplaceable nightly companion. Colbert is probably the person on this list most indebted to his time on The Daily Show because it served as a cozy little pod for his persona to develop in until the time came for him to hatch, leave home and start his own venture. He's since become a bestselling author and Grammy and Emmy winner. Just this morning, it was announced that he'll be starring in Company alongside Neil Patrick Harris and Patti LuPone at New York's Lincoln Center. He may just be the most successful alum of the show, but to determine that, we'll have to go to our next former correspondent after this short clip of Stephen back in the good ol' days.
Steve Carell
Here we have Colbert's competition for most successful Daily Show alum, but we're not here to create rivals, we're here to hand out pats on the back, and they're both wildly successful so we'll call it a draw. Steve Carell actually used to do a well-loved segment pitting him against Colbert, called "Even Stepvhen," but it was all in good political fun. This is also the likely reason that Carell got his breakout role in Bruce Almighty as the guy who Jim Carrey's character forces to yell and scream like a banshee with his new-found godly powers. Of course it was his role as Michael Scott on The Office that made him a household name as well as gave him starring roles in films like The 40 Year Old Virgin. Like it did for Helms, The Daily Show served as the jumping off point for Carell's road to stardom. Now, let's take a moment to see where it all started with a little segment Jon likes to call "Even Stepvhen."
Lewis Black
Do you like comedy that involves an emphatic, angry dude yelling in your general direction? This is probably easier to stomach when you agree with him, but either way, Lewis Black is certifiably a star of stand-up comedy. Back in 1996, he began his little sit-downs on The Daily Show, ranting on and on about the issues that plague our society. Little has changed; he still stops by for his "Back in Black" segment, but with the just as much, if not more, vigor as ever. This spastic anger is the reason he's been asked to host dozens of variety shows, award shows, and comedy specials as well as having a few of his own specials under his belt. He is a comedic force to be reckoned with, and thanks to his regular spots on Comedy Central's fake news show many of us know him as the man who makes us laugh about the issues that plague us.
Rob Riggle
Now here we have one of my favorite correspondents ever, Sir Robert Riggle. Okay, he's not a Sir and I don't think he goes by Robert, but he sure has got a way about him. You may argue with this choice because Riggle hasn't exactly "shot" to stardom, but he has become a go-to guy for those comedy romps we all shell out the cash to see at the movies. He spent some of his time on SNL for a year before joining The Daily Show in 2006 and in his two years as a correspondent, he delivered some of the most extreme, entertaining interviews ever on The Daily Show. His style hasn't changed much, he still brings the same antics to his roles in films like The Hangover, Step Brothers, and The Other Guys, but that's okay. Just take a look at the clip we've pulled and you'll see just how hilariously fantastic this comic really is.
Rob Corddry
I have three words for you: Hot Tub Time Machine. Okay, so I wasn't sure whether Hottub (or Hot tub) was one word or two, so we'll go with the average 3.5 words, but that's beside the point. The point is Rob Corddry is the man. He was a fantastic addition to the "news" team, becoming one of the most popular and oft used correspondents from 2002 to 2009. Even with all that, his ventures post "Evenings with Jon Stewart" are perhaps a bit more ambitious. Okay, Hot Tub Time Machine was just fun, but in 2008 Corddry put his good reputation amongst comedy fans to good use by creating, starring in, writing, directing, and producing his own Adult Swim television show called Children's Hospital. If you haven't already given it a shot, you should know he's got a few good names enlisted on his little show, including Malin Akerman, Lake Bell, Megan Mullally, Henry Winkler, Michael Cera, Ken Marino and Rob Huebel amongst countless funny people as guest stars including Ed Helms, Nick Offerman, Nick Kroll, Jason Sudeikis...I think you've got the idea. We can thank segments like "This Week in God" for putting Corddry on our radar and his own wit for the continued success of his show.
John Oliver
Yes, Oliver is still a correspondent, but in recent years, he's become a very, very busy man in the world of comedy. He scored a recurring role on NBC's unique, fantastic comedy Community as the oft drunk psychology professor friend to Joel McHale's cocky ex-lawyer. After proliferating the stodgy, uptight, superiority-complex-ridden British stereotype on The Daily Show (and making us laugh so hard we practically tinkled in our knickers), Mr. Oliver took the reins of his own comedy variety show, John Oliver's New York Stand Up Show and he's recorded the voice for one of the little blue guys in this year's The Smurfs. (Truth be told, his involvement is what's piquing my interest in the nostalgic remake.) He's got all these side projects in addition to his own solo comedic ventures and yet he still has time to write and "report" for The Daily Show. Here's an example of how The Daily Show taught us to love the hardest working Brit in comedy that I can think of off the top of my head. Enjoy.
Olivia Munn
Dudes, I saved your favorite for last. Now I know this lady was in many a dude's cross-hairs long before she was on The Daily Show. She was a host on G4's Attack of the Show!, which is primarily a video game-focused program that I had heard of but never watched, and many of us lady folk were in a similar boat. (Of course, there are some super gamin' ladies who soak up all that G4 programming. I know you're out there.) Many of us had no idea who this funny girl was until she set foot on The Daily Show where she immediately suffered the slings and arrows of some overreactor on a well-known blog who claimed that she was added simply because she's hot and that her inclusion simply promoted the misogynistic boys' club atmosphere of Stewart's show, completely discrediting Munn's aptitude for comedy. Of course, the writers came to her defense and she's since continued to rise in popularity, nailing down two starring roles in upcoming features and even scoring a starring role in NBC's Thursday night comedy, Perfect Couples. She's still in the infancy of what looks to be a huge career, but it's obvious she's way more than just a pretty face.