‘Daily Show’ Alum Trevor Noah to Launch Spotify Podcast

J. Clara Chan
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As Trevor Noah builds out his post–Daily Show career, the comedian is adding a new job to his resume: Spotify podcaster.

Debuting later this year, the currently unnamed podcast will release weekly and feature Noah’s commentary on timely topics and in-depth conversations with influential figures from around the world, the company said on Tuesday at Cannes Lions.

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The series will be a Spotify Original podcast, produced under the recently combined Spotify Studios umbrella that now includes podcast shops Gimlet and Parcast. But unlike Spotify’s major exclusive talent deals of the past, Noah’s podcast will be available on all major platforms.

“It’s really exciting to be joining Spotify on a fun new adventure where we’ll engage in interesting and meaningful conversations with some of the world’s most fascinating people,” Noah said.

The comedian previously hosted The Daily Show podcast up until he exited the late-night talk show late last year to pursue other projects. “Maybe this comes with not being raised in America, but I believe that everything should end,” Noah told The Hollywood Reporter last November of his decision to leave the show. “A lot of American business and American media is just like, ‘Keep it going as long as possible,’ but I think it’s healthy for things to end when they’re still in a good place. I want to leave before I’m burnt out, because there are many other things I’d like to do.”

Since his exit, Noah has landed a book deal, hosted the Grammys and gone on tour. He will join Spotify’s roster of podcasting talent — which includes Call Her Daddy‘s Alex Cooper, Anything Goes’ Emma Chamberlain and The Joe Rogan Experience’s Joe Rogan, among others — at a time when Spotify is adjusting its podcasting strategy, rethinking expensive star deals and laying off employees amid pressure from Wall Street to turn a profit on podcasting. The audio giant has also shed or otherwise ended many of the exclusive deals it brokered to help get its podcast business started, notably with the Obamas’ Higher Ground, Brené Brown, Esther Perel, and, as of June 15, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell.

Instead, the audio company has been pursuing a wider distribution model, releasing shows like Chamberlain’s once-exclusive Anything Goes on all major platforms and focusing on its advertising capabilities.

“Spotify is the ultimate audio destination, and partnering with Trevor Noah, one of the world’s most brilliant and distinctive voices, will make for captivating storytelling that will delight our more than 100 million podcast listeners around the world,” Julie McNamara, Spotify vp and head of global podcast studios, said. “We are excited to collaborate with Trevor to create an original podcast that seamlessly combines his unique humor, insightful commentary and consummate interview skills on a global scale.”

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

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