Will he stay or will he go? The future of Jon Stewart’s “Daily Show” is an open question.

After all the votes are counted and a winner is clearly determined, another burning question will loom on election day in America:

What will happen to Jon Stewart?

Perhaps this question is a little less worrying than who will be president for four years (and whether there will even be another election), but in terms of late-night entertainment, it’s a close call.

Stewart’s part-time and temporary return to The Daily Show This past February certainly gave this long-standing and important late-night franchise a boost, boosting the show in both ratings and national attention. This is what happens when a legendary artist returns to the stage.

But as the announcement of Stewart’s return was celebrated by the millions of fans who considered his departure from the late-night world premature, it was, of course, accompanied by the realization that he and Comedy Central had described this as a suspension into retirement Choice special only. Translation: Have fun while it lasts.

And it was fun. Apparently even for Stewart. He didn’t seem to fake the thrill of accepting his 23rd Emmy Award The Daily Show at the Emmy Awards in September.

In case you missed it or don’t remember, he said, “You made an old man very happy.” (Reminder: At 61, Stewart is still well below the minimum age to receive his full Social Security benefits.)

What’s more telling is that Stewart did it looked Happy to be behind that again Daily Show desk, and completely in command, just as he was a few decades ago.

Comedy Central was obviously happy to have him. On Mondays, the cable channel always informs viewers that a Jon Stewart evening is taking place.

The once a week thing seems to have been an ideal arrangement for everyone involved. So much so that it seemed both disappointing and a little baffling that there was no Stewart-led victory on Monday of this week Daily Show apparently because of Indigenous Peoples Day.

It may not rank alongside Memorial Day and MLK’s birthday on the list of most celebrated holidays, but the holiday formerly known as Columbus Day has always attracted special attention in New York.

Still, with three weeks left until the big decision day, it was a little surprising that Host Emeritus Day wasn’t celebrated on a different day this week. Perhaps not disrupting Desi Lydic’s role in the anchor chair was a priority.

And you can’t blame it The Daily Show for that. Part of the strategy behind the weekly show by Jon et al. on the show was to give the rest of the cast a full and fair chance to exit as possible full-time host after Jon returned to his post-host career.

It’s unclear whether that’s still being considered, as Stewart’s plans are unclear – or at least unannounced.

In some recent comments, he lived out that old joke: When is a door not a door? When it’s ajar. (Rim shot optional.)

When the possibility arose that he might survive the election, Stewart first, fittingly, turned to a joke. When asked on Emmy night whether he would call it quits after the election decision, Stewart said:

“Well, I feel like this election will never end. So why should I? How could I leave? I won’t be allowed to leave until we’re all ground down on calcified nubs.”

However, he had addressed the issue more seriously at an event in New York organized by Comedy Central to promote the show’s Emmy chances. “The only thing I can say is that I left nine years ago because I was burned out,” Stewart said in response to the inevitable question about his future plans. “And I don’t feel that at the moment. I feel revitalized.”

That definitely sounds promising.

But depending on the outcome of the election, how far will this revival take him? Does this mean that the US is strengthened enough to face a second Donald Trump administration? The guy who fired anti-Semitic shots at Stewart (citing his unmistakably Jewish birth name), who would surely get angry at any comic that skewered him, perhaps even to the point of making good on his promise to the government to rush into it?

Or reinvigorated enough to move on to commentating on a new Democratic administration that may be more in line with his own views but probably won’t offer nearly the wealth of comedic material that a Trump administration might?

The other consideration concerns the long-term future of the show itself. Whether Stewart stays or goes, The Daily Show You’ll need to decide whether you want to stick with a rotating host format or select one or more “permanent” hosts and stick to a more predictable schedule.

The executives at Comedy Central certainly had to consider every eventuality, the outcome of which was as doubtful as the other important decision that lay ahead.

It looks like in both cases it will come to the point – with great relief or disappointment.