South African Comedian Trevor Noah to Succeed Jon Stewart as Host of ‘Daily Show’

Trevor Noah, The Daily Show
Trevor Noah on 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,' December 2014

Trevor Noah on ‘The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,’ December 2014

Whoa. Comedy Central has officially confirmed that 31-year-old South African comedian Trevor Noah will take over as the host of The Daily Show after Jon Stewart ‘s departure! While we’re certainly sad to see Jon go, Trevor’s smile will help us cope.

Born in apartheid South Africa to a black South African (Xhosa) mother and white (Swiss-German) father, Trevor will provide a younger, international perspective to the show.

“No-one can replace Jon Stewart,” tweeted Trevor , who made his debut as an on-air contributor on The Daily Show in December (watch below). “But together with the amazing team at The Daily Show, we will continue to make this the best damn news show!”

ALSO SEE: ‘The Daily Show With Trevor Noah’ to Premiere on Sept. 28

Trevor will serve as the show’s third host following Jon and the first host, Craig Kilborn , who has seemingly disappeared.

“I’m thrilled for the show and for Trevor,” said Jon, who revealed in February that he was leaving the show after 16 years. “He’s a tremendous comic and talent that we’ve loved working with.” The 52-year-old comic added that he “may rejoin as a correspondent just to be a part of it!!!”

Though many of us wanted show correspondent Jessica Williams to succeed Jon, Comedy Central president Michele Ganeless assures us that Trevor was the best pick for the job.

She stated: “You don’t hope to find the next Jon Stewart – there is no next Jon Stewart. So, our goal was to find someone who brings something really exciting and new and different.”

“He brings such a unique worldview and a deep understanding of human nature, which makes his comedy so insightful,” she continued. “He’s truly a student of the world.”

Beginning his career with a major role on the South African soap opera, Isidingo in 2002, Trevor became the first South African stand-up comedian to appear on The Tonight Show in 2012, and the first to appear on Late Show with David Letterman in 2013.

He was also the subject of the 2012 documentary You Laugh But It’s True , and he starred in the one-man comedy show Trevor Noah: The Racist that same year. In 2013, he performed the comedy special Trevor Noah: African American ( Amazon / iTunes ).

When Jon Stewart leaves later in the year, our evening comedy-news lineup will be The Daily Show with Trevor Noah at 11pm followed by The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore at 11:30pm.

[via shadowandact ]

Author