Karlin Resigns as Daily Show, Colbert EP

By Anne Becker -- Broadcasting & Cable, 11/30/2006 9:48:00 PM

Ben Karlin, Executive Producer of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, has resigned from both shows, Comedy Central confirmed. Karlin will step down at the end of the year and remain on both series as a consulting producer. Daily Show head writer David Javerbaum will become executive producer of The Daily Show.

Karlin  has significantly shaped Daily for more than seven years, having become head writer in 1999 and executive producer in 2002, so his departure represents a big change for the show. Comedy has named a new head writer to replace Javerbaum.

The network confirmed Karlin's departure after news of it leaked out via New York comedy-focused blog The Apiary. Huffington Post's Eat The Press  reported that Javerbaum himself had announced he would leave the show at the end of December to pursue his second job, writing Broadway lyrics, full time. Comedy did not respond to requests to confirm that information.

The network didn't elaborate on why 35-year-old Karlin decided to call it quits. The University of Wisconsin grad got his start in comedy writing for The Onion during college. After graduating in 1993, he became the humor paper's editor and later went on to sell a news spoof pilot to Fox and write comedy for movies and various TV shows, including Cartoon Network's Space Ghost Coast to Coast, before being hired as Daily's head writer.

Karlin and Stewart's Busboy Productions produces The Colbert Report, and Karlin was one of the show's executive producers. Busboy also has several other projects in development. The company signed a first-look development deal with Comedy in February 2005.