Editing Jon Stewart (section)

==Early life and education==
Stewart was born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz at [[Doctors Hospital (Manhattan)|Doctors Hospital]] on the [[Upper East Side]] of [[Manhattan]], [[New York City]]. His father, Donald Leibowitz (1931–2013), was an energy coordinator for the [[New Jersey Department of the Treasury]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Portugal |first=Randolph |date=September 15, 2009 |title=No joke: Stewart's dad taught at college |url=http://www.tcnjsignal.net/2009/09/15/no-joke-stewart%E2%80%99s-dad-taught-at-college/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511184221/http://www.tcnjsignal.net/2009/09/15/no-joke-stewart%E2%80%99s-dad-taught-at-college/ |archive-date=May 11, 2011 |access-date=February 23, 2011 |website=The Signal |publisher=[[The College of New Jersey]]}}</ref><ref name="dad-obit">{{Cite web |date=June 9, 2013 |title=Donald Leibowitz |url=http://obits.nj.com/obituaries/trenton/obituary.aspx?n=donald-leibowitz&pid=165245750 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921061446/http://obits.nj.com/obituaries/trenton/obituary.aspx?n=donald-leibowitz&pid=165245750 |archive-date=September 21, 2013 |access-date=June 28, 2013 |website=[[The Times (Trenton)|The Times]] |location=Trenton, New Jersey}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Blitz |first=Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hhODBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA5 |title=Jon Stewart: A Biography |date=July 15, 2014 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-35829-6 |pages=5 |language=en}}</ref> and his mother, Marian Leibowitz (née Laskin), was a teacher and later an [[educational consultant]].<ref name="moment">{{Cite web |last1=Gillick |first1=Jeremy |last2=Gorilovskaya |first2=Nonna |date=November–December 2008 |title=Meet Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz (aka) Jon Stewart: The wildly zeitgeisty Daily Show host |url=http://www.momentmag.com/meet-jonathan-stuart-leibowitz-aka-jon-stewart/2 |access-date=August 26, 2014 |website=[[Moment (magazine)|Moment]] |quote=Marian, a teacher turned creative educational consultant, was the daughter of Nathan Laskin |archive-date=November 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141117152014/http://www.momentmag.com/meet-jonathan-stuart-leibowitz-aka-jon-stewart/2/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Stewart's family is [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi Jewish]] ([[History of the Jews in Poland|Polish-Jewish]], [[History of the Jews in Ukraine|Ukrainian-Jewish]], [[History of the Jews in Belarus|Belarusian-Jewish]], and possibly [[History of the Jews in Lithuania|Lithuanian-Jewish]]); his parents had immigrated to the [[American Jews|United States]] from [[History of the Jews in Europe|Europe]]. One of his grandfathers was born in [[Manzhouli]], present-day [[History of the Jews in China|China]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 25, 2013 |title=Hey Jon Stewart |work=[[The Huffington Post]] |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/megan-smolenyak-smolenyak/hey-jon-stewart-your-roots_b_2755031.html |access-date=April 17, 2020 |archive-date=May 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507041223/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/megan-smolenyak-smolenyak/hey-jon-stewart-your-roots_b_2755031.html |url-status=live}}</ref> He is the second of four sons, with older brother Lawrence<ref name=hyp/> and younger brothers Dan and Matthew.<ref name=dad-obit/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Jon Stewart |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0829537/bio |access-date=May 15, 2022 |website=IMDb}}</ref>

Stewart's parents divorced when he was eleven years old, and he became largely estranged from his father.<ref name=moment/> Due to their strained relationship, Stewart dropped his surname and began using his middle name alone, stating: "There was a thought of using my mother's maiden name, but I thought that would be just too big [of] a 'fuck you' to my dad.... Did I have some problems with my father? Yes. Yet people always view [changing my surname] through the [[Jewish surname|prism of ethnic identity]]."<ref name="TheGuardian">Freeman, Hadley (April 18, 2015). [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/apr/18/jon-stewart-why-i-quit-the-daily-show "Jon Stewart: why I quit The Daily Show "] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216044906/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/apr/18/jon-stewart-why-i-quit-the-daily-show |date=December 16, 2019}}. ''[[The Guardian]]''</ref> He had his surname legally changed to "Stewart" in 2001.<ref name=TheGuardian /><ref name="SmokingGun">{{Cite web |title=Today's entertainment report: 1) While "The Daily Show with Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz" has a certain ring ... |url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/jonstewart1.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061231231918/http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/jonstewart1.html |archive-date=December 31, 2006 |access-date=February 18, 2007 |website=[[The Smoking Gun]]}}</ref> In 2015, he described his relationship with his father as "still complicated" after his father's death two years earlier. Stewart and his older brother, Lawrence, who was previously the chief operating officer of [[NYSE Euronext]] (the parent company of the [[New York Stock Exchange]]),<ref name="hyp">{{Cite news |date=November 26, 2013 |title=Jon Stewart's brother leaving NYSE |work=[[New York Post]] |publisher=HYP Holdings, Inc. |agency=MarketWatch |url=https://nypost.com/2013/11/26/jon-stewarts-brother-leaving-nyse/ |access-date=October 30, 2014 |archive-date=November 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103051736/http://nypost.com/2013/11/26/jon-stewarts-brother-leaving-nyse/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Johnson |first=Fawn |date=May 11, 2010 |title=NYSE Executive Is Quizzed – About His Brother, Jon Stewart |work=The Wall Street Journal |department=Washington Wire |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/05/11/nyse-executive-is-quizzed-about-his-brother-jon-stewart |access-date=July 6, 2015 |archive-date=July 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707024811/http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/05/11/nyse-executive-is-quizzed-about-his-brother-jon-stewart/ |url-status=live}}</ref> grew up in [[Lawrenceville, New Jersey]].<ref name=moment/> Stewart has stated that he experienced much [[Antisemitism in the United States|antisemitism]] as a child, having been bullied frequently due to his [[Jewish identity]].<ref name="dowd">{{Cite magazine |last=Dowd |first=Maureen |author-link=Maureen Dowd |date=November 16, 2006 |title=America's Anchors |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/jon_stewart_stephen_colbert_americas_anchors/page/1 |url-status=dead |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061227192426/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/jon_stewart_stephen_colbert_americas_anchors/page/1 |archive-date=December 27, 2006 |access-date=October 9, 2007}}</ref> He describes himself in high school as "very into [[Eugene V. Debs|Eugene Debs]] and a bit of a [[Jewish left|leftist]]."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adato |first=Alison |year=2000 |title=Anchor Astray |url=http://home.earthlink.net/~aladato/anchor.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050116002844/http://home.earthlink.net/~aladato/anchor.html |archive-date=January 16, 2005 |access-date=March 29, 2006 |publisher=[[George (magazine)|George]]}}</ref> Stewart grew up in the era of the [[Vietnam War]] and the [[Watergate scandal]], which inspired in him "a healthy skepticism towards official reports." His first job was working with his brother at a [[F. W. Woolworth Company|Woolworth's]] store, and he has jokingly said that being fired by Lawrence himself was one of the "scarring events" of his youth.<ref name=TheGuardian/> He has also credited renowned television producer [[Norman Lear]] as someone who "raised me."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/norman-lear-just-another-version-of-you-review-1201685778/|title=Sundance Film Review: 'Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You'|first=Guy|last=Lodge|work=Variety|date=January 22, 2016|access-date=February 16, 2022|archive-date=February 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217024415/https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/norman-lear-just-another-version-of-you-review-1201685778/|url-status=live}}</ref>

After graduating from [[Lawrence High School (New Jersey)|Lawrence High School]] in 1980, Stewart attended the [[College of William & Mary]] in [[Williamsburg, Virginia]], where he initially [[Academic major|major]]ed in [[chemistry]] before switching to [[psychology]].<ref name=moment/><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/video/63932062/ |title=Bloomberg Game Changers: Jon Stewart |date=October 22, 2010 |type=Television production |publisher=[[Bloomberg Television]] |access-date=October 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101025111914/http://www.bloomberg.com/video/63932062/ |archive-date=October 25, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> While at William & Mary, Stewart became a member of the [[Pi Kappa Alpha]] fraternity,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prominent Pikes |url=http://www.pikes.org/media/documents/recruitmentresources/brochure/prominent.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060236/http://www.pikes.org/media/documents/recruitmentresources/brochure/prominent.html |archive-date=September 21, 2013 |access-date=February 19, 2013 |publisher=Pikes.org}}</ref> but eventually began disassociating himself from other members, leaving the fraternity altogether after six months.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Top 49 Men of 2010 |url=http://www.askmen.com/celebs/men/entertainment_150/167_jon_stewart.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013103852/http://www.askmen.com/celebs/men/entertainment_150/167_jon_stewart.html |archive-date=October 13, 2008 |access-date=February 19, 2013 |website=[[AskMen.com]]}}</ref> "My college career was waking up late, memorizing someone else's notes, doing [[Bonghit#Use|bong hits]], and going to soccer practice", he later said.<ref name="ny1994">{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Chris |date=1994 |title=The Man Who Should Be Conan |work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/10/jon-stewarts-1994-interview-with-new-york.html |access-date=November 2, 2014 |archive-date=February 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218024821/https://www.vulture.com/2014/10/jon-stewarts-1994-interview-with-new-york.html |url-status=live}}</ref> He was a three-year starter in 1981, 1982 and 1983 with the [[William & Mary Tribe men's soccer|Tribe men's soccer team]]. He had 10 goals and 12 assists on a squad that went 40–15–9 (.695) in his three seasons with the program.<ref>[https://tribeathletics.com/news/1999/1/1/205084070.aspx Jon Stewart '84 (profile) – William & Mary Athletics.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720050616/https://tribeathletics.com/news/1999/1/1/205084070.aspx |date=July 20, 2021}} Retrieved July 20, 2021</ref> He is listed as Jon Leibowitz in official William & Mary Athletics records.<ref>[https://digitalarchive.wm.edu/bitstream/handle/10288/1561/2005wmmsocguide-low.pdf;jsessionid=B7A04C5B8B410F61113AF0FDDFCF4012?sequence=24 William & Mary Men's Soccer 2005 Media Guide (scroll down to page 54).] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720050616/https://digitalarchive.wm.edu/bitstream/handle/10288/1561/2005wmmsocguide-low.pdf;jsessionid=B7A04C5B8B410F61113AF0FDDFCF4012?sequence=24 |date=July 20, 2021}} Retrieved July 20, 2021</ref> The former head coach of the Tribe men's soccer team from 1971 to 2003, [[Al Albert (soccer)|Al Albert]], describes Jon as "athletic and feisty and quick" and added that he "wasn't the most technical or clinical player, but he could make things happen."<ref>[https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/13389524/before-daily-show-jon-stewart-played-soccer-william-mary Markazi, Arash. "Before ''The Daily Show'', Jon Stewart played college soccer," ESPN.com, Thursday, August 6, 2015.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720053742/https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/13389524/before-daily-show-jon-stewart-played-soccer-william-mary |date=July 20, 2021}} Retrieved July 20, 2021</ref> He graduated from William & Mary in 1984 with a [[Bachelor of Arts]]. Twenty years later, the college awarded him an honorary [[Master of Arts]] degree.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Honorary degree recipients |url=https://scrc-kb.libraries.wm.edu/honorary-degree-recipients |access-date=March 3, 2024 |website=William & Mary Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center|date=September 25, 2020 }}</ref>

After college, Stewart held numerous jobs: contingency planner for the [[New Jersey Department of Human Services]], contract administrator for the [[City University of New York]], puppeteer for children with disabilities, soccer coach at [[Gloucester High School (Virginia)|Gloucester High School]] in Virginia, caterer, [[busboy]], shelf stocker at Woolworth's, bartender at the Franklin Corner Tavern (a blue-collar bar in [[Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey|Lawrence]]), and bartender at the [[City Gardens]] nightclub in [[Trenton, New Jersey]].<ref name=moment/><ref name="mtv">{{Cite news |last=Gerston |first=Jill |date=March 13, 1994 |title=MTV Has a Hit With Words By Jon Stewart |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9804EFDC163DF930A25750C0A962958260 |access-date=March 9, 2008 |archive-date=March 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220304101118/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/13/arts/television-mtv-has-a-hit-with-words-by-jon-stewart.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=oscar/> He has said that working at City Gardens was a pivotal moment for him: "Finding this place City Gardens was like, 'Oh, maybe I'm not a giant weirdo. Maybe there are other people who have a similar sense of yearning for something other than what they have now.' I think it inspired a lot of people, man. It was a very creative environment. It was a place of great possibility."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=Chris |date=February 19, 2014 |title=Jon Stewart on Bartending at a Famous Punk Club |url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/02/jon-stewart-on-bartending-at-a-famous-punk-club.html |access-date=March 13, 2015 |website=[[Vulture.com]] |archive-date=March 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316031038/http://www.vulture.com/2014/02/jon-stewart-on-bartending-at-a-famous-punk-club.html |url-status=live}}</ref>