Trevor Noah’s Daily Show Replacement Already Chosen?
Trevor Noah is leaving The Daily Show, and it is being rumored that Roy Wood Jr. will now take over hosting duties.
This article is more than 2 years old
Now that Trevor Noah is leaving The Daily Show, executives are actively searching for a suitable replacement. But they may not have to look very far as Roy Wood Jr., one of the show’s veteran correspondents, is rumored to be in the running for the gig. The 43-year-old has been part of the Comedy Central family since 2015, the same year the South African comedian took over hosting duties from Jon Stewart.
Sources close to the situation told TMZ that Comedy Central bosses believe Roy Wood Jr. would be a natural fit to succeed Trevor Noah as he has become one of The Daily Show’s most recognizable faces and leading correspondents. The comedian has also become popular on the stand-up circuit. And his career received a major boost after he starred in 2022’s Confess, Fletch. Since his contract is up for renewal soon, executives would like to discuss his future at the network.
But despite the noise which followed Trevor Noah’s departure from The Daily Show, Roy Wood Jr. has not been officially approached. Speaking to the Daily Mail, a Comedy Central spokesperson broadly addressed the network’s plan for a new host. “In time, we will turn to the next chapter of The Daily Show and all of our incredible correspondents will be at the top of that list,” the representative told the publication. Until then, everyone is focused on celebrating Noah and thanking him for his contributions.
Trevor Noah announced that he will be leaving The Daily Show after hosting the satirical news program for seven years. After establishing his brand and delicately covering some crucial moments in American history, the 38-year-old said he wants to dedicate more time to standup comedy. “I spent two years in my apartment,” he told the studio audience. “Stand-up was done, and when I got back out there, I realized there’s another part of my life that I want to carry on exploring.”
But Trevor Noah’s detractors say that his “woke soap box rants” triggered a rating slump for The Daily Show, which steadily got worse over the years. Instead, the show has lost its edge with many viewers stating that the comedian seems more interested in espousing his Twitter-friendly views than going for the jugular with his observations. He is now better known for his love life, after being spotted with British pop star Dua Lipa, than for jokes or monologues that set the news agenda.
Additionally, during Trevor Noah’s tenure, The Daily Show has regularly been nominated for Emmy Awards, but it lost to HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver in the main awards category every year since 2015. Moreover, previous host Jon Stewart could command up to 1.5 million viewers an episode, unlike the 38-year-old’s 800,000. But he didn’t achieve the same level of success with his AppleTV+ show, The Problem with Jon Stewart.
Meanwhile, Trevor Noah’s exit from The Daily Show comes after the comedian announced that he would be returning to South Africa for several stand-up shows in September 2023. In a statement to News24, the comedian said he’s been away from his homeland for too long, and so much has happened. So he’s excited to be back in front of his home crowd.
