It’s the end of an era for yet another big television host. Trevor Noah, the lead anchor of The Daily Show, is hanging it up after seven years in the job. Noah has filled the shoes of prior host Jon Stewart quite well for the better part of a decade, and the time is now coming for someone to step in for him.
Trevor Noah made the announcement during Thursday’s taping of The Daily Show. Noah gave a speech filled with gratitude and a brief history of his seven years on the show. Check it out below, and try not to tear up while watching:
A report from Deadline mentioned that Trevor Noah was working with Comedy Central on trying to work through the demanding schedule of The Daily Show. Noah assured audiences in attendance that he won’t be leaving the public eye, but he’s become more interested as of late in branching out to try different things than what he’s doing now.
The shock of Trevor Noah’s exit is sudden, though Noah noted he isn’t leaving immediately. The Daily Show host confirmed they’re still trying to figure out how to work on his exit and who will succeed him. The latter will be a big question, as Comedy Central will likely look to recruit top talent to helm its celebrated news program.
2022 is quickly becoming the year when hosts of staple late-night television are leaving. James Corden left The Late Late Show after eight years with the gig, and Samantha Bee lost her series Full Frontal after seven seasons. The late-night space is quickly losing a lot of notable names, which will leave some newcomers to fend off current veterans like Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert.
Just to put this all in perspective, Trevor Noah joined The Daily Show not too long after Jimmy Fallon took over The Tonight Show, and shortly before Stephen Colbert started hosting The Late Show. He’s certainly had some time to make the show his own in that span and prove any initial doubters who thought he couldn’t fill the hole left behind by Jon Stewart (who has since moved onto other streaming endeavors). No doubt a similar pressure will be placed upon his successor, and it will be interesting to see who Comedy Central vets for the job.
That’s assuming The Daily Show will continue after Trevor Noah, though after some chatter in 2020, it doesn’t appear the show is going anywhere. Noah didn’t seem to indicate that in his message, so any fan thinking this is curtains for the comedy news show just needs to relax and wait for the next chapter.
The Daily Show airs on Comedy Central Mondays through Thursdays at 11:00 p.m. ET. Now would be a great time to jump back in on watching to see Trevor Noah’s final episodes, and maybe look for some clue about who will take his place. This could be a long wait, though, so maybe just browse the 2022 TV schedule in the meantime and sit tight for more details.
