THE DAILY SHOW Celebrates 25th Anniversary on the Air

The Daily Show" turns 25 this year, and to commemorate the anniversary, on July 19, "Daily Show" co-creators Madeleine Smithberg and Lizz Winstead are for the first time EVER getting the original band back together to tell the story only THEY can tell, about how the hell this iconic and groundbreaking show, which redefined how Americans consume political news, really got started.

There will surely be many 25th anniversary celebrations this summer, but this promises to be the coolest one, as Smithberg, Winstead and the gang get together to celebrate the true origin story of "The Daily Show" -- how these scrappy folks launched this show that changed the face of news and comedy.

Original correspondents A. Whitney Brown, Beth Littleford and Brian Unger, as well as a few SURPRISE guests, will join the festivities, to share their favorite segments, reminisce and gab about what they're doing now. There will even be an interactive Q & A at the end, to answer the audience's burning questions!

Not only is this an epic night of comedy and storytelling, but the show also benefits a great cause. Proceeds from the evening will benefit Abortion Access Front, Winstead's non-profit organization, which uses humor and pop culture and her signature "Daily Show" sensibility to fight for reproductive rights.

Think of it like the "Friends" reunion, but with new information and a purpose.

To quote Winstead, "Back in the 1990s, cable was the WILD West. You couldn't have done 'The Daily Show' on network TV. In cable, you had more freedom, but it didn't bring in the big bucks like network TV did. It was a tradeoff. 'The Daily Show' changed the whole equation. How it came to be is really a story that has never been told by all of us in a room!"

Smithberg says, "25 years is a long time! It is staggering to see that what Lizz and I created became both a cultural force and a launching pad for so many other shows and careers. Time to break out the party hats!!"

Littleford added, "The Daily Show grew me up, became a kind of family to me. I'd been toiling in obscurity in New York, and it shot me into this great big exciting life."

This "Daily Show" 25th anniversary reunion to beat all other reunions will be July 19 at 9 p.m. Eastern.

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