Jon Stewart was forced to adopt a new identity after his biological father abandoned the family.
The split between Jon Stewart’s parents occurred when he was 11 years old. His parents were Marian and Donald Leibowitz. After the separation of Jon’s parents, his mother took full responsibility for his upbringing.
Jon began using a surname derived from his middle name, Stuart, rather than his official last name, Leibowitz. This was due to the confusing feelings that he had about his own father. In 2015, the possibility of Jon using his mother’s maiden name was brought up for discussion; however, Jon ultimately came to the conclusion that doing so would be “just too big of a [expletive] you to my dad.” To answer your question, my connection with my father was strained. Yes. People continue to perceive my decision to alter my surname through the prism of my ethnic background as a direct consequence of this.”