Earlier this year, Jon Stewart shocked fans of The Daily Show by announcing his departure. This was followed by a string of departures from The Daily Show including veterans Jason Jones and Samantha Bee, leaving no obvious successor in place… until now.
Via The New York Times, Comedy Central has announced that Trevor Noah has been named the new host of The Daily Show. Noah is a 31-year old comedian hailing from South Africa who made his Daily Show debut last December. Incredibly, Noah only made three appearances on The Daily Show before his promotion.
Noah is currently on a comedy tour in Dubai, but he responded to the news via an interview with the New York Times. “You don’t believe it for the first few hours,” said Noah. “You need a stiff drink, and then unfortunately you’re in a place where you can’t really get alcohol.” Noah has been doing stand up comedy since his twenties and he is fluent in six languages.
Related: Jon Stewart Announces His Departure From The Daily Show
Regarding the criticism that may come his way, Noah added that “We live in a world where some people still say Beyoncé can’t sing,” he said. “Clearly I’m not immune to that.”
Stewart endorsed Noah’s promotion in a brief statement. “I’m thrilled for the show and for Trevor,” wrote Stewart. “He’s a tremendous comic and talent that we’ve loved working with.” Stewart also joked that he “may rejoin as a correspondent just to be a part of it!!!”
The report notes that The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore will continue as The Daily Show’s companion series. There is currently no date set for Stewart’s final episode of The Daily Show, or Noah’s first show as the host.
