"The Daily Show" finally has its new host: Trevor Noah.
Noah, a South African comedian and one of the newest "Daily Show" correspondents, was mentioned Friday as the front-runner to replace Jon Stewart on the Comedy Central show. On Monday, The New York Times reported that Noah would officially take over hosting.
Since Stewart announced in February that he'd be stepping down from the show after hosting for over 15 years, a handful of possible replacements have been considered. Lists of the potential next host have included Jason Jones, Samantha Bee, Tina Fey and Jessica Williams, who said she was under-qualified for the position.
Noah is a new name to many people because he is one of the most recent additions to the Comedy Central show, having joined in December 2014. Since then, he has appeared in only three segments with Stewart, including ones about Ebola, Boko Haram and a game of chess.
“You don’t believe it for the first few hours,” Noah told The New York Times, speaking from Dubai about receiving the news. “You need a stiff drink, and then unfortunately you’re in a place where you can’t really get alcohol.”
Beyond "The Daily Show," Noah is also well-known in South Africa from hosting his own late-night talk show, a handful of radio programs and the South African Music Awards. The 31-year-old also headlined a Showtime stand-up special last year and was the first South African comedian to appear on "The Tonight Show" and "The Late Show with David Letterman."
In a Comedy Central press release Stewart said, “I’m thrilled for the show and for Trevor. He’s a tremendous comic and talent that we’ve loved working with…In fact, I may rejoin as a correspondent just to be a part of it!!!”
Stewart is expected to step down from the hosting gig sometime between July and the end of the year, according to Variety.
For more, head to The New York Times.
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