He was regarded as a late-night unicorn due to his unique perspective on the American discourse, but now that his tenure has come to an end, there’s a big question of who’ll replace Trevor Noah as the next Daily Show host.
Timed almost exactly to his seventh anniversary, Noah departed the award-winning satirical current affairs show on a high with 15 Emmy nominations and one win, as well as scoring a nod for TIME’s 100 Most Influential People. He had big shoes to fill after the previous host, the legendary John Stewart, left in 2015, but the South African comedian made the program his own. Coming of age under apartheid, Noah felt uniquely equipped to talk about the 2016 presidential election. “I know what it’s like to live in a country that’s extremely divided by race — where people feel like it’s crashing every day and they don’t trust that their president has their best interests at heart,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2019. “And we joke about it not to minimize it but to try and heal the wounds. Where there’s no conflict, pain or tragedy, I don’t know what to do. I’m a horrible superfluous comic. If anything, I’m only trained in this.”
After his final episode aired on December 8, 2022, Chris McCarthy, President and CEO of Paramount Media Networks said in a statement: “Trevor redefined the show, as did Jon Stewart before him, and as we look to the future, we are excited to reimagine it yet again with the help of this incredible list of talent and correspondents along with the immensely talented Daily Show team.” Here’s who’s taking over.
Who’s the next Daily Show host?
The next Daily Show host has yet to be decided. At the moment, it’s a rotating roster of talent that includes Wanda Sykes, Leslie Jones, Chelsea Handler and Sarah Silverman. Specific dates for upcoming guest hosts Marlon Wayans, John Leguizamo, Hasan Minhaj, Kal Penn and Al Franken have yet to be announced.
Trevor Noah. Photo by David Becker/Getty Images
“I think it’s been amazing to see. I love Leslie. I remember Leslie and I working together way back in the day before either of us was on American TV, and this was us doing comedy clubs in and around the US. I was chatting to her and telling her how proud I am and enjoying it for her,” Noah told StyleCaster’s sister site, THR. “Wanda is a legend,” he added, “so seeing her enjoying herself, expressing herself—I’ve been loving all of it.”
When asked if it was important that a person of color or women serve as the official host of The Daily Show, Noah replied: “We live in a world where politics affects everybody, and you want it to be a world where everybody’s opinion about that same politics is reflected in some way, shape or form. And when I was host of The Daily Show, I tried to make sure that my team was as diverse as possible so that you got those viewpoints. And many of those people are still there: Dulcé Sloan, Roy Wood Jr., etc. So, do I think it’s important? Definitely. And do I love what they’re doing? Completely.”
With regards to who will replace Noah permanently, the hunt is still on, but Deadline reported in January 2023 that correspondents Wood Jr. and Desi Lydic were in contention. Wood will pause his own podcast, Roy’s Job Fair, in the meantime. “This will be the last episode release of Roy’s Job Fair for a little while, while I figure out what the fuck to do in the world of late night,” he said on the podcast. “This is not an easy decision to come to. I went back and forth [asking] ‘I don’t know do you pull a Trevor Noah and say what you’re gonna do beforehand, or do you just do it on the last episode and I figured we’d do it on the last episode’,” he added.
On the topic of his future at The Daily Show, Wood said: “My future at The Daily Show is not promised, in terms of hosting. Do I want to be in consideration for hosting? Absolutely. Am I in the hopper as one of the many guest hosts that will be coming up in the next couple of months? Absolutely. But in the interim, not knowing how that’s going to go. I got to put a couple of the pots on the stove, man, and I got to make sure that one of them bits pays off.”
Roy Wood Jr. Comedy Central / Courtesy: Everett
In his final show, Noah bid farewell to an audience that was, initially, unsure of him as a host. “I realized after the seven years, my time is up, but in the most beautiful way,” he said. “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.” He continued: “I remember when we started the show, we couldn’t get enough people to fill the audience. So I look at this now? I don’t take it for granted, ever. Every seat that has ever been filled to watch something I’ve been doing, I always appreciate, because I know the empty seat that sits behind it.”
Noah hosts the Grammys for his third consecutive year in 2023. He told AP that he feels a bit more comfortable with the gig than in previous years but he still gets the jitters. “The nerves come in because you’re standing in front of not just some of the best, but some of the biggest performers in the world,” he said. “Nerves are part of what I do.”
“I was relieved Trevor came back because it makes my job more enjoyable and easier,” said Ben Winston, the show’s executive producer, calling Noah an “absolute pro” who can pivot gracefully at any moment on a night celebrating music’s best. “He reassures me on a stressful night when a set hasn’t been built in time and I say to his ear ‘Sorry about that. I need you to go an extra 90 seconds because Lady Gaga’s orchestra isn’t in.’ He’ll just naturally flow, make a joke, get up and sit at somebody’s table and chat with them,” Winston said. “That’s a very difficult task which very few people could do — and definitely can’t do with his comedy and charm that Trevor has.”
Harvey Mason jr, the CEO of the Recording Academy said: “We love having Trevor because he’s so darn good at it. He is so personable, he’s so funny. I don’t know how he does what he does. He never stumbles, he never hesitates. He’s always so earnest and heartfelt. He’s also a music guy. You see him when he’s not on camera. He’s singing, he’s dancing, he’s rapping. I feel like he’s one of us now.”
Who’s performing at the Grammys 2023?
Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs, Steve Lacy, Lizzo and Sam Smith with Kim Petras have all been announced to perform at the 2023 Grammys. Variety also reported that DJ Khaled will take the stage, possibly with Jay-Z — “GOD DID,” their collaboration with Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, John Legend and Fridayy, is up for three awards including song of the year.
Image: Yearling.
Former host of The Daily Show, Trevor Noah, shares his personal story and the injustices he faced while growing up half Black, half white in South Africa under and after apartheid in this New York Times bestselling young readers’ adaptation of his adult memoir.
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