Kings of Their Crafts, but on Divergent Paths: Brian Williams's and Jon Stewart's Common Ground

Other than timing, Jon Stewart’s triumphant retirement and Brian Williams’s public and humbling disenfranchisement would seem to have little in common. Both men made up for lost time once they got into their careers. Both men spent more than a decade on top of their businesses for good reasons. They were kings of their respective crafts.

But now they are both done, at least for the time being. Stewart, who said he would leave “The Daily Show’’ sometime in 2015, leaves on top, on his own terms. Oddly, Stewart will leave his desk as arguably the most trusted man in news. And Williams will find his way back to his desk only if he figures out a way to regain the trust he has squandered.