The search for a replacement for Trevor Noah on The Daily Show has already begun, and he will soon be leaving the show.The most likely candidate for the position is correspondent Roy Wood Jr., but some reports have suggested that more than one person could work behind the desk. In a new profile for The Hollywood Reporter, Comedy Central boss Chris McCarthy “suggests his phone has been ringing off the hook with interested parties.”Although Noah doesn’t appear to be involved in the decision, he has been ensuring that his team knows what to expect if they are selected to host.
The comedian told THR that he’s sat down individually with all the correspondents (“most of whom he handpicked, all of whom he’s close to”) to give them the 411 on what the hosting gig is really like. “I wish someone had told me what a grind it was,” he explains to the outlet. “You’re also running the show, so everything from HR to designing the set, you’re a part of, and it doesn’t stop when you leave the building. There’s no moment when breaking news happens where I go, ‘Oh, wow, I don’t care.’ No, I have to care; being informed is part of my job.”
Noah’s decision to quit was partly due to how exhausting the role is, in addition to his book deal, stand-up schedule, and running a production company. However, he expressed regret for simultaneously breaking the news to the audience, the Daily Show cast, Paramount, and his own representatives. He explains, “Part of the reason I did it that way is because I didn’t want anybody to be the person who then tells somebody else, who then tells somebody else, who then tells somebody else.”
In his conversation with THR, he emphasized opportunities to do voiceover work and write his own screenplays and now enjoys the freedom to do whatever he wants. He states, “I’d love to make great movies, and I’d like to act in some of them, but I think stardom is a byproduct of a job well executed, so that’s not something I’m too concerned about,” he says. “If anything, I wouldn’t mind a little less stardom so I can eat a few meals uninterrupted.”
