Jim McCambridge
Roy Wood Jr., a longtime contributor to Comedy Central’s “Daily Show,” will not return to the late-night program when production resumes on Trevor Noah.
“I can’t come up with a Plan B while I’m still working on Plan A,” the comedian told NPR, noting that he doesn’t want to continue as one of the show’s correspondents while someone else is being considered for the lead role. “The job of a correspondent… it’s not really one where you can juggle several things. [And] I think eight years is a good run,” he said.
His exit highlights the venerable program’s complications as Comedy Central expands its search for a new lead character. Noah abruptly announced his exit at the end of 2022 in front of a live audience that had come to watch the recording of a new episode. Comedy Central has relied on guest hosts ever since – until the show had to be canceled due to the Hollywood writers’ strike.
The Paramount Global network had chosen Hasan Minhaj as its leading candidate for the job, but then appeared to have reversed its decision after the comedian – who guest-hosted alongside candidates including Chelsea Handler, Marlon Wayans, Kal Penn and Sarah Silverman – after A New Yorker report described how Minhaj had embellished some of his autobiographical comedy routines.
“Daily Show” has experienced similar turmoil in the past. As Jon Stewart neared the end of his tenure on the series, several correspondents began considering outside offers. John Oliver, who had filled in for Stewart during his absence from “Daily,” moved to HBO to launch “Last Week Tonight.” And longtime correspondent Samantha Bee started her own series on Warner Bros. Discovery’s TBS.
The Daily Show is scheduled to return to original production on October 16, with guest hosts leading the series for the remainder of the year. Executives expect to identify a new host in the meantime and deploy that person through 2024.
“Roy Wood Jr. is a comedic genius and a beloved teammate. His insights and humor helped us make sense of the 2016 election, the pandemic and countless hours of Fox News,” Comedy Central said in a statement. “We thank him for his time with us and can’t wait to see what he does next.”