“The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah has announced he will step away from the anchor desk after seven years of association. In a video statement shared on Twitter Thursday, Noah said that his “time is up" and adds that “It’s been absolutely amazing. It’s something that I never expected,” Noah said of his experience hosting the show. “I found myself thinking throughout the time of everything we’ve gone through. The Trump presidency, the pandemic, just the journey, more pandemic and I realize that after the seven years, my time is up.”
Noah was named as host of “The Daily Show” after Jon Stewart signed off in 2015 and in the video, he thanked everybody for watching him. “I never dreamed that I would be here. I sort of feel like ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.’ I came here for a tour of what the previous show was and then the next thing you know I was handed the keys.”
Noah hinted that his decision to leave the show is also because of his desire to return to more standup work.
“We’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together,” Mr. Noah said during a taping of the show on Thursday that was released before the show aired. Comedy Central said in a statement that the network had been working with Mr. Noah “for a long time to figure out how he can maintain the demanding schedule.”
The network added that “with no timetable for his departure, we’re working together on the next steps.”
In these seven years, Noah wrote jokes about the presidency of Donald J. Trump, the pandemic, and other major news events. However, he said that he wants to explore other things in life. He said he missed touring, going to other countries, learning other languages, and “being everywhere, doing everything.”
Comedy Central said that it was “excited for the next chapter” of “The Daily Show,” but it did not say who would be the next host, reports the New York Times.
