Dear Mr. Stewart and The Daily Show team:

I know there are a great many people who love and identify with The Daily Show. I’m sure what I have to say isn’t unique, but I wanted to share it because it is meaningful to me.

My father is a short, Jewish man from Queens who has a deep appreciation for Springsteen and the Mets. He is a doctor by trade (and a much-beloved doctor at that), but is a long-time student of the news in his spare time. Every day for nearly 10 years my father has sent my brother and I an email containing that day’s major local, national, and international news stories. (He also includes Mets/Knicks news, which is nearly always painful. And he gives us the weather report for our respective cities, which is only sometimes painful.)

As you might have gathered, my father has many things in common with you, Mr. Stewart. But it’s more than just those superficial similarities. My father is compassionate, brilliant, funny, and an incredibly hard worker. He is committed to fairness and truth. He is a good man. I think this is why I have felt such a strong connection to the show over the years.

Mr. Stewart, you and your team strive for truth. You believe in equality. You are obviously brilliant and hilarious. Your show can’t get rid of the ills of society, but it makes them easier to bear. Your show feels like family; it feels like home.

Thank you for being a little reprieve from all the crazy out in the world, and for being the brilliant, compassionate, clever, good people you are. We will miss you terribly.

With much admiration and affection,
Leah