Trevor Noah is leaving The Daily Show after seven years as host.
The comedian announced the news during Thursday’s episode of the Comedy Central late-night series. His first episode as host aired Sept. 28, 2015, following the departure of Jon Stewart.
“I realized after the seven years, my time is up, but in the most beautiful way,” Noah told the audience. “I’ve loved hosting this show. It’s been one of my greatest challenges. It’s been one of my greatest joys. I’ve loved trying to figure out how to make people laugh even when the stories are particularly shitty on the worst days.”
Noah explained that returning to stand-up after a two-year hiatus amid the pandemic led him to realize he wanted to continue exploring other aspects of his life.
He did not specify a timeline for how soon he would leave, quipping, “I’m not disappearing — don’t worry. If I owe you money, I’ll still pay you.” He went on to thank the network and show’s team for giving him a chance when he was then-unknown in the States.
The news comes at a time of change for the late-night landscape. Earlier this year, James Corden announced he would be stepping down as host of CBS’ The Late Late Show in 2023, while Showtime’s Desus & Mero and TBS’ Full Frontal With Samantha Bee have also recently ended their runs.
Noah’s star has continued to rise since starting on The Daily Show. He emceed the White House Correspondents Dinner in April, the same month in which he marked his second consecutive appearance as host of the Grammy Awards.
Noah’s stint as host of The Daily Show particularly gained momentum with the 2016 election of former President Donald Trump, bringing a ratings bump and awards clout that the series, previously an Emmys darling during Stewart’s era, had lost after the transition. Noah’s version of the show, which launched in 1996 with host Craig Kilborn, picked up its fifth straight Emmy nomination this year for best variety talk series, losing to the category’s current powerhouse, HBO’s Last Week Tonight.
Though The Daily Show is hardly the linear draw it was in Stewart’s era, or even Noah’s earlier days, it did remain something of a crown jewel at Comedy Central during a period of seismic change and diminishing power. Original offerings at the Paramount-owned network are a fraction of what they once were, and as the company shifts more and more attention to its streaming efforts, the question of who replaces Noah is just as pressing as where and how The Daily Show might be presented moving forward.
The timing of Noah’s departure is, at least, not as dramatic as that of his predecessor in 2015. Stewart left The Daily Show on the eve of a presidential election year, one proved to be (at the time, anyway) the most fraught in U.S. history.
The Daily Show, like all politically skewing late-night offerings, gets a viewership boost during election years — and The Daily Show initially suffered from having to introduce a then-unknown to audiences looking for a familiar face to chronicle the Trump-Clinton election. With Noah likely staying put through the midterms, producers have more of a runway to get someone situated in the new role ahead of 2024.
More to come…
Source: Hollywood
