When Jon Stewart leaves “The Daily Show” anchor desk later this year, his replacement will be Trevor Noah, a 31-year-old South African comedian with a short but memorable list of appearances as a contributor to the show.
Comedy Central announced its pick to replace Stewart on Monday morning. An exact date has not yet been set for Noah’s takeover of the show.
“No-one can replace Jon Stewart. But together with the amazing team at The Daily Show, we will continue to make this the best damn news show,”Noah tweeted about his new job.
The comedian was in Dubai when he found out the job was his, he told the New York Times, who first reported the news: “You don’t believe it for the first few hours,” he said, adding, “You need a stiff drink, and then unfortunately you’re in a place where you can’t really get alcohol.”
Stewart was “thrilled for the show and for Trevor,” the comedian said in a statement, adding that Noah is a “tremendous comic and talent that we’ve loved working with.” Stewart joked, “In fact, I may rejoin as a correspondent just to be a part of it!!!”
Michele Ganeless, the president of Comedy Central, said in a statement that the channel was looking for a “fresh voice who can speak to our audience with a keen take on the events of the day.” She added, “we found that in Trevor.” Ganeless praised Noah’s “huge international following” and said that she believes he is “poised to explode here in America.”
Ganeless also spoke to the Times about the search: “You don’t hope to find the next Jon Stewart – there is no next Jon Stewart. So our goal was to find someone who brings something really exciting and new and different.”
Noah has made three appearances on “The Daily Show” as a contributor — he started on the show in early December.
Source: The Washington Post
