There's been another shake-up in the late-night TV department, as Trevor Noah announced his departure from The Daily Show this past week. Noah started hosting the show seven years ago after former host Jon Stewart exited Comedy Central's satirical news program. Noah's hiring may have been a surprise to many, but he's since become a late-night staple, covering political and pop culture topics (such as the racist Little Mermaid backlash). Noah's departure definitely comes as a bit of a shock too but, per a new report, those who were especially taken aback by the news were his colleagues at the show.
Trevor Noah’s announcement was kept pretty hush hush, and it's honestly surprising that a news outlet didn't break the news before the host could reveal it himself. While the latter is what ultimately ended up happening, it seems like Noah’s decision to break the news on air came out of left field, as many key people who worked on the show were apparently not in the know. According to Deadline, the announcement of Noah's departure wasn't exactly organized like James Cordon’s well-managed exit from The Late Late Show, which was confirmed earlier this year. Cordon has a planned date for his last show, yet details regarding Noah’s departure remain unclear. The outlet also claims that the number of people aware of Noah's exit was evidently small.
Interestingly enough, the host reportedly revealed his exit to a number of people in the studio audience before breaking the news to many of his co-workers. Apparently though, the TV personality thought it was "imperative" that he tell show attendees, as he wanted them to hear the news from him and not another source.
Still, from an organizational standpoint, this entire situation might put a strain on the producers, who may have wanted a clear timetable to start making plans for Trevor Noah’s potential successor. Another reason all of this may have been surprising is that it had reportedly been indicated that Noah was going to stay with the show for at least another year. More specifically, Noah was assumed to have renewed his deal with Comedy Central earlier this year.
One really has to wonder how the staff and Comedy Central as a whole will choose to proceed with the host's departure and his eventual replacement, who will likely have their own way of doing things. The show changed following Jon Stewart’s departure in order to fit his successor's comedic sensibilities. So needless to say, a major overhaul could be on the horizon. At this point, the network hasn't given any indication as to who might take over, but reports suggest that names are already being circled for the coveted Daily Show role.
Only time will tell how things pan out for the long-running news program. But in the meantime, you can check out past episodes from Trevor Noah’s run as host of the Comedy Central staple by streaming episodes of the show using a Paramount+ subscription.
