On Monday, Comedy Central named Jon Stewart's replacement as host of The Daily Show — and it probably wasn't someone on your short list. Trevor Noah, a 31-year-old South African comedian, made his debut on the show only in December, and his segments usually involve making Stewart look ignorant or foolish when it comes to world news in general and Africa in particular.
When he got the call, "you don't believe it for the first few hours," Noah told The New York Times from Dubai, where he is on tour. "You need a stiff drink, and then unfortunately you're in a place where you can't really get alcohol." For his part, Stewart said he is "thrilled for the show and for Trevor," and that he may "rejoin as a correspondent just to be a part of it!!!"
As for how The Daily Show landed on Noah, Comedy Central's Michele Ganeless said: "We talked to women. We talked to men. We found in Trevor the best person for the job.... 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." They certainly accomplished the "new and different" part. Now, let the second-guessing begin.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Watch the first of Noah's three appearances below. —Peter Weber
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.