The Daily Show network announced this week that before deciding on a long-term replacement for Trevor Noah, they will have weekly high-profile guest hosts until September 2023.
After a successful seven-year run, the South African comedian is leaving the show that made him famous, and speculation is rampant about who will replace him as anchor. Regarding Noah's departure on December 8, the network announced this week that The Daily Show will experiment with a weekly rotation of well-known guest hosts before deciding on a long-term replacement.
The names who will start working behind The Daily Show's desk include a number of SNL alums (including former senator Al Franken, Sarah Silverman, and, beginning on January 17, Leslie Jones), two former late-night hosts (Chelsea Handler and Wanda Sykes), and a number of actors from sitcoms and comedy movies (including D.L. Hughley, John Leguizamo, Kal Penn, and Marlon Wayans). The rotation of anchors will also include current correspondents and contributors, Roy Wood Jr. and Dulcé Sloan.
The circumstances of Noah's somewhat abrupt departure are also unusual in the show's history: it now faces the longest term without a regular host. The Daily Show executive producer, Jen Flanz, tells Vulture that as far as she can remember, "This is the first time we're really having outsiders into our house." Chris McCarthy, who is in charge of Comedy Central as president and CEO of Paramount Media Networks, said that the upcoming season of The Daily Show is unlikely to debut until September 2023.
"We’re going to use the back half of the broadcast year—call it from now until June—to really experiment and try different things," he says. "And then our goal would be to relaunch in the fall." The new host (or hosts) will very likely be announced well before then, allowing them time to prepare for the transition and a full year to settle in before the 2024 presidential election. But, in general, "we absolutely don’t feel a need to rush into a decision," McCarthy stresses.
What is The Daily Show?
The Daily Show is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central, with a release shortly after on Paramount+. The Daily Show draws its comedy and satire from recent news stories as well as political figures and media organizations and often uses self-referential humor.
From its 1996 debut until 1998, Craig Kilborn served as the host of the half-hour show. The show's emphasis shifted from Kilborn's pop culture focus to political and journalistic satire under Jon Stewart's leadership, which lasted from January 11, 1999, to August 6, 2015. Trevor Noah, whose position began on September 28, 2015, succeeded Stewart.
The show's official names have changed throughout the years, from The Daily Show with Craig Kilborn in 1996 to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in 1999 to The Daily Show with Trevor Noah in 2015. The Daily Show has been on Comedy Central the longest and has garnered 24 Primetime Emmy Awards. The show is well-liked by young viewers. The Pew Research Center reported in 2010 that 10% of the audience watched the show for its news headlines, 2% for in-depth reporting, and 43% for entertainment.
Stewart received criticism for not asking his political guests (some of whom he may have parodied in earlier segments) tough questions during the interviews. In response to this criticism, Stewart and other Daily Show writers claimed they had no journalistic obligations and that their sole mission as comedians was to amuse. This discussion was continued by Stewart when he appeared on the CNN show Crossfire and criticized the CNN hosts and producers for not doing up-to-date, informed interviews on a news network.
Top Three Upcoming Guest Hosts
After Trevor Noah's departure, The Daily Show's traditional concept of having a single long-term host was shaken, and the network announced that it would have a proper long-term host after September 2023; until then, a weekly rotation of celeb guest hosts will temporarily run the show. This is the first such instance in the show's 26-year history.
Among others, the top three upcoming guest hosts are as follows:
Hasan Minhaj
The Daily Show is no stranger to Hasan Minhaj, a comedian from Davis, California, who is 37 years old. From 2014 to 2018, he reported from across the US as the show's senior correspondent, taking part in recurring rapid-fire segments like "Brown in Town."
In 2018, he left The Daily Show to start his own show, Patriot Act, a Netflix topical comedy series. Patriot Act was the first weekly US talk show hosted by an Indian American. Here, Minhaj discussed a variety of contentious issues, including cannabis legalization, Indian elections, and Chinese censorship. Jamal Khashoggi's murder was the subject of one episode that was taken down from Saudi Arabian Netflix.
When the show was canceled after six seasons, fans started an online petition pleading with Netflix to reconsider. Although Minhaj has not yet made any remarks about his role as a guest host, Noah may very well support him. Minhaj has received praise from the soon-to-be-former Daily Show host for his "whip-smart commentary, charisma, and sincerity."
Chelsea Handler
In February, comedian Chelsea Handler will fill in for Noah, and she has already expressed excitement about returning to Late Night. This week, she declared, "That's pretty much a great gig for me." The author and comedian undoubtedly has some experience. One of the few female hosts of late-night shows, Handler began with "Chelsea Lately" from 2007 to 2014 before moving to Netflix to host her own show, Chelsea, for two seasons.
Handler, a progressive activist and fierce critic of Donald Trump, declared in 2017 that she would stop acting on television to devote more time to political activism, which was motivated by Mr. Trump's victory. She appears to be prepared for a return now, five years after staying away. “Female representation in late-night shows is lacking”, she claimed. “I am going to do that job again because I have done it before and I am capable of doing it.”
Al Franken
The most contentious interpretation of Al Franken is possibly his Daily Show impersonation. The former Saturday Night Live writer and comedian who was elected to the US Senate resigned from his position in politics in December 2017 in the wake of numerous allegations of sexual misconduct. Franken, 71, apologized but insisted he did nothing wrong.
Later, he admitted that he would think about running for office once more because he regretted leaving. He has gradually returned to public life in the intervening years, launching The Al Franken Podcast in 2019.
Being The Daily Show's host, even for a brief period, will be a major accomplishment for Franken, who has largely avoided the spotlight since his fall from grace. On Twitter, Franken stated that he was "working on Trump indictment material" and that he felt "honored" to be hosting The Daily Show as a guest.
FAQs
Q. Who is Trevor Noah?
A. Trevor Noah is a South African comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host who was born on February 20, 1984.
Q. What is the net worth of Trevor Noah?
A. The net worth of Trevor Noah is estimated to be $100 million, as of 2022.
Q. Why did Trevor Noah leave The Daily Show?
A. Primarily, he stated that he wanted to explore his career as a comedian. Also, his contract with The Daily Show for five years signed in 2017, expires in 2022.
