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Both shows were shut down production after the Hollywood writers strike began a little over two months ago. The comedy duo are the latest late-night hosts to announce their return to the air while the ongoing writers strike continues. Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel have all said that they will resume their programs on Jan. 2 with or without their writing staffs.

But "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" rely far more on scripted material than those shows, which are more centered around interviews and musical guests.

Just how both shows plan to continue then, without their backbone isn't clear. Comedy Central would not give details beyond the press release making the announcement

In a joint statement, Stewart and Colbert stayed true to their personalities by saying:

"We would like to return to work with our writers. If we cannot, we would like to express our ambivalence, but without our writers we are unable to express something as nuanced as ambivalence."