Following reports Monday morning, Comedy Central officially announced that Trevor Noah will succeed Jon Stewart as host of The Daily Show.
The 31-year-old South African comedian, little known in the U.S., will take over for Stewart later this year; Comedy Central will announce exactly when at a later date.
“Trevor Noah is an enormous talent. He has an insightful and unique point of view, and most importantly, is wickedly funny,” said Comedy Central president Michele Ganeless. “For the next host of The Daily Show, we set out to find a fresh voice who can speak to our audience with a keen take on the events of the day, and we found that in Trevor. He has a huge international following and is poised to explode here in America, and we are thrilled to have him join Comedy Central.”
Noah has only made three appearances on the show, having first debuted in December. Noah made his U.S. television debut in 2012 on Jay Leno's Tonight Show and also appeared on CBS' Late Show. Noah has hosted numerous television shows including his own late night talk show in South Africa, Tonight with Trevor Noah.
“It’s an honor to follow Jon Stewart. He and the team at The Daily Show have created an incredible show whose impact is felt all over the world,” said Noah. “In my brief time with the show they’ve made me feel so welcome. I’m excited to get started and work with such a fantastic group of people.”
Other potential successors to Stewart included Jason Jones and Samantha Bee, but each is bound for their own project with TBS; Bee, in particular, will host a late-night program as the Turner network seeks a companion for Conan O'Brien. Jessica Williams, another young correspondent, had also pulled herself out of the running.
With Larry Wilmore's Minority Report in its third month, Comedy Central's late night roster will look starkly different than the Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert lineup the network had for years. Noah, the son of a black South African mother and a white European father, brings a much more international sensability to the program. Noah will also be the second foreigner to take over a U.S. late night talk show in 2015; Englishman James Corden started his tenure as host of CBS' Late Late Show last week.
