"His heart isn't in it, and hasn't been for a while. It's hard to pinpoint exactly when that happened though. Like many things in life, it was a gradual shift. The writing is still top notch IMHO, but Stewart himself just seems tired. But the fact that I'm so sad to see him go is proof enough that the show hasn't gotten bad or anything. (By contrast I'd be genuinely glad to hear The Simpsons was finally put out of its misery). So yeah, he's probably picking a good time to step down, but it doesn't make it less depressing for me." - Eric P