Trevor Noah’s days at Comedy Central’s “Daily Show” are numbered.
The comedian, who is in his seventh year of hosting the signature program of the Paramount Global network, is set to depart after a final appearance on the program on Dec. 8. The timeline gives Noah a chance to anchor the program as its cast makes its way to Atlanta for a midterm-election special, and to look back at his tenure on the series.
Comedy Central will place the show on hiatus after Noah’s farewell, and plans to bring it back on Jan. 17 as part of what the network called a “reinvention.” Comedy Central did not name a successor for Noah, but is believed to be considering some of the show’s correspondents as part of its deliberations.
Noah, who came out of near anonymity to take over the program from Jon Stewart in 2015, revealed his exit plans to an audience at a late September taping of the program in New York, saying that “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.”
In a statement, Noah indicated he looked forward to producing programming across a wide array of venues, something he has been at work on for some time under a broader contract with Comedy Central’s parent company. “Trevor is an incredible talent who has left an indelible mark on The Daily Show and we’re grateful for his creative partnership over the past seven years,” said Chris McCarthy, president & CEO of Paramount Media Networks and MTV Entertainment Studios, in a statement.
Noah’s looming exit from the late-night stage is just the latest in a recent series. James Corden plans to leave CBS’ “The Late Late Show” in 2023 and TBS has cancelled programs led by Samantha Bee and Conan O’Brien that once helped to define the Warner Bros. Discovery-backed outlet. Some hosts are walking away from their programs to try a hand at other projects. Some networks, meanwhile, are getting out of the business of wee-hours TV, growing skeptical about the ability to make a profit as the viewers who once stayed up late to watch it migrate to streaming and social-media to watch clips from the shows at times of their own choosing.
From Variety US