Comedian Trevor Noah has announced that he will be leaving The Daily Show after seven years of presenting the iconic current affairs programme.
The 38-year-old comedian, hailing from South Africa, took over hosting duties from Jon Stewart in 2015. Since then, Noah has transformed from an unknown presenter to a household name with a plethora of accolades under his belt. His tenure on the Comedy Central staple redefined what The Daily Show was, reflecting the shift from news coming from cable television to predominantly being an online venture.
This shift was further reinforced by the number of clips from the show that have gone viral over the years. His tenure also was a time in which the world changed drastically: in those seven years, Trevor Noah found himself commentating on Donald Trump’s Presidency, the Black Lives Matter Movement, the COVID-19 pandemic and more.
In his departure announcement on the show last week, Noah 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 then went on to say, “I realised there’s another part of my life that I want to carry on exploring. I miss learning other languages, I miss going to other countries and putting on shows. I miss just being everywhere and doing everything.” From these comments, it is expected that he will return to stand-up comedy after leaving the show.
At this point, it is too early to know what Comedy Central has planned in terms of a replacement. However, the change does come at a time of upheaval for late-night television, with popular shows, such as Conan O’Brien’s, coming to an end and hosts like James Corden planning to step down imminently. That being said, it is currently unknown what the timeline will look like for Noah’s departure, and he will continue to host for the time being.
Words by Rehana Nurmahi
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