Jon Stewart broke down in tears as he paid tribute to his dog on The Daily Show

Jon Stewart broke down in tears when he shared some sad news Daily show viewers on Monday (February 26).

The political commentator returned to Comedy Central program this month, after nine years of absence.

In an emotional tribute, he announced that his beloved dog, Dipper, had died the previous day.

“In the world of good ole boys, he was the best,” Stewart said, his voice cracking.

The host shared with viewers the story of how his family met Dipper – but he didn't get far before the emotions started flowing.

Stewart explained that his children wanted to raise some money for an animal shelter in New York, called Animal Haven, 10 to 12 years ago. After the family baked cookies and set their table outside, staff working at the shelter introduced them to Dipper.

Stuart described Dipper as a “one-year-old dark gray pitbull” before he choked. He hit the table with his fist and said “f***” before pulling out a box of tissues from under his desk.

He revealed that Dipper was “hit by a car in Brooklyn and lost his right leg.”

“I thought I was going to go further,” the emotional host laughed as tears continued.

“They put the dog on my lap, and we left that day feeling really good that we had helped such a great organization and we also left with this one-year-old gray pitbull. We named him Dipper. In the world of good ol’ boys, he was the best.”

Stewart continued to share Dipper's adventures with viewers as he revealed that the dog was part of the show's original cast.

“He would come to him Daily show every day. He was part of the OG Daily show “The dog crew,” Stewart continued.

“We came to record this show, and Dipper was waiting for me to finish,” he said.

“He met actors, authors, presidents and kings. He did what the Taliban could not do, which was to instill terror in the soul of Malala Yousafzai.”

Stuart who walked away from Daily show In 2015, he was replaced by Trevor Noah who hosted the program until 2022. Stewart returned to his old spot on February 12.

He has agreed to host every Monday during the election, and to executive produce the nightly show for Comedy Central To next year to help him through another transition period.