by Are you ready for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah?
Comedy Central made it official this morning, naming Noah — a new correspondent on The Daily Show — to replace Jon Stewart as the show’s host after Stewart steps down later this year. Noah, a South African stand-up comedian who hosted his own late-night talk show there, only made his debut on TDS this past December.
Noah made a great first impression in New York City two years ago, though, bringing his one-man show, “Born A Crime,” here in 2013 for an Off-Broadway run. He also had made appearances on both Leno and Letterman before joining Comedy Central’s late-night anchor.
“Trevor Noah is an enormous talent. He has an insightful and unique point of view, and most importantly, is wickedly funny,” said Comedy Central President Michele Ganeless. “For the next host of ‘The Daily Show,’ we set out to find a fresh voice who can speak to our audience with a keen take on the events of the day, and we found that in Trevor. He has a huge international following and is poised to explode here in America, and we are thrilled to have him join Comedy Central.”
“It’s an honor to follow Jon Stewart. He and the team at ‘The Daily Show’ have created an incredible show whose impact is felt all over the world,” said Noah. “In my brief time with the show they’ve made me feel so welcome. I’m excited to get started and work with such a fantastic group of people.”
He jokingly told The New York Times over the phone from Dubai, where he’s currently on tour as a stand-up: “You don’t believe it for the first few hours. You need a stiff drink, and then unfortunately you’re in a place where you can’t really get alcohol.”
Added Stewart: “I’m thrilled for the show and for Trevor. He’s a tremendous comic and talent that we’ve loved working with…In fact, I may rejoin as a correspondent just to be a part of it!!!”
Several other candidates you may have thought of for Stewart’s anchor chair already had bolted for other cable TV outlets — John Oliver to HBO last year, Larry Wilmore to the Colbert slot with The Nightly Show this year, and longtime correspondents Jason Jones and Samantha Bee are headed to TBS for a sitcom and talk show, respectively.
And still, Comedy Central promoted from within.
Of the selection of Noah, Ganeless told the NYT: “We talked to women. We talked to men. We found in Trevor the best person for the job…You don’t hope to find the next Jon Stewart – there is no next Jon Stewart. So, our goal was to find someone who brings something really exciting and new and different.”
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah definitely will be all of that.
