"It's not like I thought the show wasn't working any more, or that I didn't know how to do it. It was more, 'Yup, it's working. But I'm not getting the same satisfaction,'" he told Guardian.
"These things are cyclical. You have moments of dissatisfaction, and then you come out of it and it's OK. But the cycles become longer and maybe more entrenched, and that's when you realize, 'OK, I'm on the back side of it now.' "
The show host said a combination of the limitations of his brain and a format that follows an increasing redundant process, made him take the decision.
"...I also felt that, for the show, you don't want to leave when the cupboard's bare. So I think it's a better introduction when you have something providing you with assisted fuel, like a presidential campaign."
Trevor Noah is slated to replace Stewart after his retirement.