Trevor Noah to Replace Jon Stewart on 'The Daily Show'

by Bryn Elise Sandberg

Trevor Noah is replacing Jon Stewart on The Daily Show.

The South African comedian, who joined the Comedy Central staple as a senior international correspondent in December, will be filling the late-night slot at just 31 years old. His premiere date will be announced at a later time.

"Trevor Noah is an enormous talent. He has an insightful and unique point of view, and most importantly, is wickedly funny," said Michele Ganeless, Comedy Central president. “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. He has a huge international following and is poised to explode here in America, and we are thrilled to have him join Comedy Central.”

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In addition to awards shows, radio programs and comedy festivals, Noah hosted his own late-night show in South Africa for two seasons. He made his American debut on Jay Leno’s The Tonight Show, and has since been on Late Show With David Letterman — becoming the first South African stand-up comedian to appear on either show. His comedy special about being born a mixed-race child in South Africa under Apartheid, Trevor Noah: African American, premiered in the U.S. on Showtime in July 2013. For Noah, who can speak eight different languages including German and six different dialects of African languages, race and ethnicity are prominent themes in his comedy.

Stewart said of his successor in a statement, “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!!!”

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News of Stewart’s replacement comes less than two months since The Daily Show host informed viewers Feb. 10 that he would be leaving the show after more than 15 years behind the anchor desk. The search to find a successor has been complicated by the fact that many of the presumed top choices have recently signed onto new shows that prevent them from taking the gig. Among them: Stephen Colbert, who is gearing up to replace David Letterman as the host of CBS’ Late Show in September; John Oliver, who just received a two-year renewal for his HBO talk show Last Week Tonight in February; and Samantha Bee, who in early March announced she’d be leaving The Daily Show to host and exec produce her own TBS show.

In December, Comedy Central said goodbye to one of its other signature series, The Colbert Report, which aired after The Daily Show. In January, the series was replaced by Larry Wilmore’s The Nightly Show, a production of Stewart’s via his Busboy Productions.

"It’s an honor to follow Jon Stewart. He and the team at The Daily Show have created an incredible show whose impact is felt all over the world," said Noah. "In my brief time with the show they’ve made me feel so welcome. I’m excited to get started and work with such a fantastic group of people."

Noah also tweeted on Monday morning, “No-one can replace Jon Stewart. But together with the amazing team at The Daily Show, we will continue to make this the best damn news show!”