Jon Stewart’s replacement for host of ‘The Daily Show’ is… Trevor Noah?

In February, Jon Stewart announced that he would be leaving The Daily Show at some point this year. It was a shock. Many people believed Jon was very happy at TDS, although he had been pursuing other interests – like directing his first feature film – for a few years. Still, some of us still can’t believe that he’s going to leave us before another presidential election cycle. What the hell, man?!

Anyway, the hunt was on for Jon’s replacement and speculation ran rampant. John Oliver would have been an obvious (and brilliant) replacement, but Oliver left TDS for HBO months ago (and his show is a massive success). Some people thought TDS should get a female host, which would have been awesome. TDS has a deep bench of talent, male and female, and it would have been great to see Jason Jones, Rob Riggle, Samantha Bee or Jessica Williams take over. But no. The new host has been named and it’s a guy we barely know: South African comedian Trevor Noah. Noah is biracial. He’s been featured on TDS before. But he’s still pretty unknown and untested. The NYT spoke to Noah after the announcement:

“You don’t believe it for the first few hours,” Mr. Noah said of learning about his new job. “You need a stiff drink, and then unfortunately you’re in a place where you can’t really get alcohol.”

The appointment of Mr. Noah, a newcomer to American television, promises to add youthful vitality and international perspective to “The Daily Show.” It puts a nonwhite performer at the head of this flagship Comedy Central franchise, and one who comes with Mr. Stewart’s endorsement.

“I’m thrilled for the show and for Trevor,” Mr. Stewart said in a statement. “He’s a tremendous comic and talent that we’ve loved working with.” Mr. Stewart added that he “may rejoin as a correspondent just to be a part of it!!!”

[From The NYT]

The Comedy Central president said that they saw everyone, male, female, black, white, whatever. And I would guess that some of the correspondents honestly didn’t want the gig. But it just feels like… I don’t know, they pulled this guy’s name out of a hat! We’ll see, Comedy Central. We’ll see.

Here’s Trevor’s first appearance on TDS several months ago:

trevor1

Photos courtesy of Instagram, Getty, WENN.

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64 Responses to “Jon Stewart’s replacement for host of ‘The Daily Show’ is… Trevor Noah?”

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  1. Jessica Fletcher says:

    I’m delighted for him! I kinda thought he’d make a terrific replacement, but tbh, I thought it was too much of a long shot. Best of luck 👍

  2. Pri says:

    He’s cute! But this does mean The Daily Show will have a broader global politics news focus? I often got a bit confused with the American political system tidbits that John reported on (I am Canadian).

  3. Sullivan says:

    I’ll miss Jon, but I think Trevor is an inspired choice for his replacement.

  4. Franca says:

    He’s actually really reall good. I was rooting for Williams, but he’s really good too.

  5. Monie says:

    I recall many predicting the death of TDS after Craig Kilborne left. Jon Stewart was a funny stand-up but wasn’t always JON STEWART; he grew into what he is now. So don’t discount this new guy just yet, he may pleasantly surprise us all.

    • Kori says:

      I remember that too.

    • Kara says:

      yes but Kilborne didnt have ten years in a row of Emmy Winning. its a tough act to follow,

    • Ella says:

      Agreed. Everyone starts out as “Who?” If we just stuck with people who are big names already, that would be boring. I distinctly recall when Conan O’Brien first started out (he replaced David Letterman when DL first moved to CBS in the early 90s). People were brutal because they had no idea who Conan was, and he was widely bashed by critics. He was tall and nerdy and completely unknown. But lo and behold, he eventually became a national treasure. So you never know. 🙂

  6. aims says:

    The job is intimidating as hell, because Jon rocked it out and it’s a great show. I’m sure he’ll do well, but my heart will always love Jon.

  7. Debbie says:

    I was all about Jessica Williams getting the part. She is the funniest person on the show. This guy is cute but he isn’t that funny. I will give him a chance though.

    • Jan Harf says:

      I’ve seen some of his stand-up acts, he’s pretty funny. And that accent…

      • QQ says:

        yes! and when he goes does his bits in TDS he is pretty great

        and also #Accent!

      • Debbie says:

        I’ve only seen him on TDS and didn’t love his segment. So he could be hilarious. I will give him a chance.

      • COSquared says:

        Us Saffas have hot accents.*patriotically sings Nkosi Sikeleli*

      • olly says:

        Lol! COSquared, I am a proud South African but I never thought anyone would think our accents are hot. You got to admit we tend to be quite loud people and when we are excited or emotional, forget about any sort of voice modulation. Lol

      • COSquared says:

        *searches for vuvuzela in the dusty garage* This is the perfect remedy(and the Kiwi loss) for my broken Protea heart after ALMOST making it to the Cricket World Cup final.

      • Kori says:

        I haven’t seen him before but when I read his background I was hoping for an accent! I have a thing for African accents in general but especially South African ones. I had a history professor once who was from Africa and his voice was so melodic. A couple times it almost lulled me to sleep though!

      • jaye says:

        He SO cute. And heaven’s to murgatroid, that ACCENT! OH yeah…and he’s funny, too.

    • Wilma says:

      Jessica Williams said she was flattered by the speculation, but felt herself unprepared and too young to take over.

  8. minx says:

    I can see it.

  9. BeBeA says:

    Good for him, I love him. He’s funny without all the extra stuff!

  10. Amy says:

    Oh My God YES!

    I love Trevor Noah and he has the perfect humor for the show!

  11. QQ says:

    yaaassssssssssss The WHAAAATTTTT i just let out???!?!? OMG I think I threw my shoulder off or something … I Made the Wave at My desk ??? LOLOLOLOLo OMG OMG I’m so happy for Trevor… also: BAE!! Im gonna thirst- watch soooo Much

    • Jensies says:

      Oh man, me too. I’ve been kind of surprised with how intense his segments have been, but they’ve all been really good. I was surprised they went with him, but not mad. He’s got a lot of comedy cred from South Africa. Aaaaaaaand he’s kinda super hot and smart as hell. Yup, will watch, will fantasize. YAY.

  12. olly says:

    I am south african, so excited about the news. He has come a long way from those SARS (our revenue service) ads. 🙂

    • COSquared says:

      And those Isidingo days… I’m also a proud Saffa. Too bad I’m a Compact person. Mzansi is trots op jou!

  13. Irene says:

    Oh, I just spent an hour youtubing this guy a few weeks ago! He’s funny and very cute, I’m happy with this replacement, even though Jon Stewart is one of my faves.

  14. honeybea says:

    I live in south africa and we love him!!!! so happy to see many positive responses in the comments above. thanks for giving him a chance guys.

  15. Lulu says:

    I’m South African so I have known of Trevor Noah for longer than most American audiences. He is very funny and has an excellent handle on South African politics and knows how to poke fun as well as be informative.
    He also hosted a Fallon/Letterman/Kimmel type of show on a cable network here in South Africa, which was criminally under seen and so was prematurely cancelled. It was hilarious.
    It was not the same as The Daily Show but I think it proved that he could do this sort of think.
    What I’m trying to say in a round about way is that people should give him a chance, if for nothing else for the fact that he is actually funny, different and a young voice.
    Besides Jon Stewart sorta took a gamble with John Oliver and look how well that turned out.

    • amanda says:

      I wonder if maybe a non-american is what this show needs, and what, if anything, having a non-american host will do to the content and/or the points being made by the host.

      I think he’s cute and fresh and I think lots of people will be glad to see him.
      I agree this is a huge thing to take on, and he’s not going to have an easy time settling in behind that desk without lots of people having an opinion of it.

    • COSquared says:

      Mara why people didn’t watch The Trevor Noah Show? It was so awesome. I’m glad someone’s out there breaking stereotypes about SA.

    • Isabelle says:

      I stayed/lived in South Africa for a few months. A lot of South Africans are very informed about American politics, was surprised somewhat. So much so, I was constantly asked about certain political situations in America. Here I was with no knowledge of current South African politics. Some knew more than Americans & had a lot of good conversations. Him being SA means little IMO, he’s smart & funny, he’s a good choice.

  16. kai says:

    I am frm Botswana, and trevor is HUGE in southern africa..but i was shocked..i didnt knw his career reached that far..its crazy..am shocked an nervous for the dude.

  17. Brittney B says:

    If you’re unfamiliar with Trevor, I highly recommend his special on Netflix. It’s more of a documentary than a stand-up special, and it’s charged with emotion and history. I’m so so so happy that his hard work paid off in a really big way.

  18. Cas says:

    So, so happy for Trevor, you deserve it man!

  19. Alex says:

    I will still watch the show, but am very disappointed they didnt choose a woman. The notion that they couldn’t find one talented woman to fill the job is bull. In the past 2 years 6 night time seats have changed hands. Not a single woman. They, like many other fields, would rather import men ( Corden and Noah), than hire a woman. It will be another 10 to 20 years before a mainstream spot opens up.

    Aisha Tyler being passed up for the Late Late show is definitely the biggest snub. A highly educated comedian who has been doing stand up, hosting shows and acting for over a decade. And she was Fergesons choice.

    • twodollars says:

      Both of the woman correspondents on the Daily Show said they didn’t want it. Jessica Williams was insistent that she didn’t want the gig and got attacked for not being feminist enough for not wanting it. Samantha Bee has 1 or 2 other projects that got signed earlier this year. I am personally shocked they went outside the white guy box especially after giving Larry Whitmore Colbert’s old show. Cable is usually less progressive than network tv so I am pleasantly surprised.

      As for the Late, Late Show, I am not surprised a woman wasn’t considered especially a minority woman. I have no idea why they hired the guy they did as he is remarkably unfunny. But, I am not really a late night talk show fan so maybe I just don’t get his appeal.

      • Alex says:

        Not to be argumentative since you have a point about Willams, but Sam Bee left the Daily Show after she was passed over. the TBS show that reason in motion was part time for her, full time for Jones, and only 13 episodes. She didn’t get her own show until TDS told her she was out of the running. TBS confirmed that they went after Bee and Jones hard, and offered them more shows, but she was still holding out for TDS. and Sam Bee herself originally said that she was not leaving TDS as her role on Jones shows show wouldn’t take up too much time. it wasn’t until recently, when TDS would have informed her of her status, that she anounced that she was leaving.

        There are also many qualified women outside TDS. TDS’ s press release made sure to announce that they looked at women, because they new the backlash they would get if they didn’t at least pretend that they tried.

        Hopefully they will at least hire more female correspondents. While I am glad that Sam is at least getting her own show, it’s pretty sad that the only network giving a women a chance doesn’t get many viewers and is seen as a lesser channel.

        The lack of women in night time is not all on CC. it is great that they have provided some color to late night. But as they were the last available shows to inject some female talent in late night, it is very disappointing they didn’t use the opportunity to hire a women who was surely qualified for the role.

        I wish everyone well, but as I said before 10 to 2O years before potentially getting a mainstream late night host is depressing. And a sad reminder of how far we are from even having a sliver of equality in all professions.

      • nic919 says:

        That is really interesting, especially when they did a goodbye segment for Jason Jones this past Thursday and I was wondering if they would do the same for Samantha Bee since the announcement about her new show already came out.

        I think the executives who make these decisions still don’t consider women to be as funny as men, or they fear the audience won’t and they are afraid to take the risk. Someone like Samantha Bee has proven to be funny and yet still it isn’t enough. (She’s Canadian and would have an outsider perspective as well) I am sure that Trevor Noah will be fine, but the fact that they chose a total unknown in the US and would rather take the risk of giving him a high profile position like this as opposed to letting a known successful quantity like Samantha Bee take over says a lot about how far there is to go with women in comedy.

  20. Scylla74 says:

    I watched a while ago every youtube clip and loved it!
    Also: the accent is cute for my austrian ears …

  21. Coco says:

    So very thrilled to hear Trevor Noah got the job! Been watching his standup and he is fantastic!

  22. What'sUp says:

    He was fantastic on the Red Nose Day Special – his standup is fantastic. Great choice.

  23. insomniac says:

    Don’t really know him, but I just watched that clip and really liked it. And I love his accent! Best of luck to him.

  24. MyCatLoves TV says:

    One word: DIMPLES!!!!

  25. Reece says:

    *checking list* Funny, Smart, Seems to be good at the job, Good Looking (bonus write in), ACCENT (2nd bonus write in!)=YAAASSS!!!!

  26. common sense says:

    I am SOUTH African and so happy for Trevor, he is so funny.

  27. Mrs. Darcy says:

    Never heard of him but he’s adorable.

  28. Kori says:

    Conservative media already hates TDS–I wonder how they’ll feel about 2 non-whites taking over for Stewart AND Colbert.

  29. COSquared says:

    Trevor speaks 7 languages: English, Zulu, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Tswana, Tsonga and German. I speak: Zulu, English and Afrikaans. We both went to simple government schools in a country whose educational system is one of the world’s worst. P. Will went to one of UK’s most prestigous schools and only knows his mother tongue. The dude, the heir, got an MBA in Geography. GEOGRAPHY. While Europe’s heirs took political science or international relations or something along a similar vein, Mr. Windsor wanted to know the gradient of slopes. CP Victoria(dyslexic) managed to learn 3 other languages and King Felipe(YUMMY) is fluent in more than that. Thank God South Africa left the Empire. Poor Commonwealth, it’ll have a leader who only knows killing animals & trig beacons. Someone on on Tumblr said:”It started with a William and it will end with one.” Rant done.

  30. rainy17 says:

    Noah has a good touch with political issues. As the show is such a force in political satire and commentary, Noah might do very well. I am pleasantly surprised. I fully expected to be disappointed by their choice.

  31. Jo 'Mama' Besser says:

    Not sure how he’s ‘out of a hat’ when he already appears on the show.

  32. Hannah says:

    I watched his stand up comedy on Netflix and I didn’t think he was all that funny but he’s so.effing.cute so no complaints here.

  33. bonsai mountain says:

    Yay! So smart and funny; keeping my fingers crossed the show does well with Trevor at the helm.

  34. Mispronounced Name Dropper says:

    Wow. I didn’t see that coming. I had my money on Bill O’Reilly getting the gig.

  35. Wifey says:

    Go Trevor!!!!! You are doing the saffas proud 🙂 🙂 🙂

  36. nell says:

    I am so happy for him!! He is hysterical, and so smart. I love his stand up.

  37. Mickey Phillips says:

    Awe this is fantastic. I quite like Trevor Noah and I like that they’re going with someone who isn’t super well known. He’s hilarious and he will make the show his own.

    Plus he’s a total babe.

  38. Nibbi says:

    i’m still disappointed it’s not tina fey.