Jon Stewart’s post-’Daily Show’ gig: Pretend lotion shop owner?

Lots of people have asked Jon Stewart what he plans to do after he leaves “The Daily Show� in August, but few have actually stepped forward to offer him jobs. At least publicly. There’s his old fast-food bete noir, Arby’s. And now there’s his old friend, Jeff Garlin.

Garlin and Stewart were roommates long ago in their early stand-up days, and now that Garlin has “The Goldbergs,� a hit comedy series on ABC, he’s willing to throw a bone to his soon-to-be-unemployed pal.

“On behalf of ABC and Sony Pictures Television, I am offering you a role on ‘The Goldbergs’ as my new friend, Toby.�

Almost as if on cue, the audience began chanting, “Toby! Toby!�

The character’s full name will be Toby Schwartz, and as Garlin explained, “You own a lotion shop next to my furniture store. And you and I talk about things.�

“A lot of people have said to me, what are you going to do when you’re done?� Stewart responded. “And I’ve had a secret dream. And that is to pretend to be a lotion shop owner. For you to make that dream come true to me, it’s ... thank you.�

What else would you expect from Stewart’s third best friend? The first two, by the way, are Bruce Springsteen and Sofia Vergara, apparently.

So when you’re sad and lost this fall without your nightly Jon Stewart fix, tune into ABC once in a while. There may be a friendly lotion shop owner to ease your pain. Or maybe not.

You can watch the full interview here.

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