Trevor Noah To Take Over As Host Of "The Daily Show"

By Elana Goodwin on April 8, 2015

Who is Trevor Noah?

That is the question many asked and Google searched when Comedy Central announced who would fill Jon Stewart’s shoes and take over his desk when he leaves “The Daily Show” later this year.

Photo Credit: newsweek.com

The 31-year-old South African comedian is relatively unknown, though his identity is becoming more of a household name. After an official statement was released on March 30 that he’d take over for Stewart, search interest on Google and YouTube skyrocketed, with a 2157% increase day-over-day in search volume on YouTube compared to the day before the announcement was made.

Indeed, many were wondering why Noah was chosen over many more renowned and established comedians whose names were also brought up when Stewart told the world of his impending departure from “The Daily Show” in early February.

Noah served as an occasional on-air correspondent (he was a contributor for three segments on the show) on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” between 2014-2015. He first appeared on American television when he performed comedy on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” in 2012, becoming the first South African stand-up comedian to perform on the show.

In South Africa, Noah hosted his own late night series called “Tonight with Trevor Noah” and has filmed several comedy specials and toured on the stand-up circuit, which help beef up his credentials and credibility.

Of course, within a few days of the Trevor Noah hosting news being publicized, the young comic was embroiled in scandal and facing backlash over tweets he’d posted in the past on Twitter that some were calling sexist and anti-Semitic.

Some of the tweets that got people angry include: “Oh yeah the weekend. People are gonna get drunk and think that I’m sexy!” – fat chicks everywhere” which Noah posted in October 2011, and “Almost bumped a Jewish kid crossing the road. He didn’t look b4 crossing but I still would hav felt so bad in my German car!” which he tweeted in September 2009.

A number of other tweets from the last several years followed in the same style, and seemed to refer specifically to Jews and women in a likewise ignorant, tactless, and unfunny manner that had many questioning Comedy Central’s decision to have Noah succeed Stewart as host.

Comedian Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) even took to Twitter in response to Noah’s older tweets coming under scrutiny, posting “@Trevornoah U should cease sexist & anti semitic ‘humor’ about Jewish women & Israel. #comedyCentral.”

Photo Credit: youtube.com

Though Trevor Noah has gotten tangled up in controversy, this week on “The Daily Show,” Stewart publicly stated his support of Noah as his replacement, saying:

“I know there was a large kerfuffle on Twitter. But I can say this. I think without hesitation, Trevor Noah will earn your trust and respect, or not. Just as I earned your trust and respect, or did not. The only thing I would say is, I do hope you give him an opportunity to earn that trust and respect.”

So far, there’s been no formal announcement as to when Stewart’s last appearance as host will be on the show, though it’s expected to be sometime during 2015. Until Noah takes over, he’s got some work to do in terms of PR and winning over the American public, especially the crucial college-aged demographic, which makes up a large percentage of “The Daily Show’s” regular viewers.

Stewart giving Noah his blessing and support, even after the backlash, will only help Noah as he moves forward in the spotlight and works to overcome the negative feedback he’s received.

“My experience with him is that he is an incredibly thoughtful and considerate and funny and smart individual,” Stewart stated. “And man, I think you give him that time, and it’s going to be well worth it. I’m excited for where he’s going to take this thing. And I’m going to watch. I’m gonna set my DVR.”

During his time on “The Daily Show,” Stewart established the show as the place where hard journalism and entertainment meet, as he mockingly updated viewers on current events and politics, delivering the news with his signature sharp humor and fake anchorman identity.

Stewart will definitely be missed on “The Daily Show” as he’s hosted the long-running satirical news program since January 1999, and as a host, Noah also has his work cut out for him and will really have to prove himself.

Luckily, the network is also standing behind Noah and confident in his abilities. Comedy Central president Michele Ganeless called Trevor Noah an “enormous talent” in a statement saying, “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.”

Only time will tell; Noah will step behind “The Daily Show” desk as host sometime later this year.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format