After seven years of making viewers laugh while keeping them informed of current events, Trevor Noah recently announced that he was parting ways with The Daily Show. Since being selected to officially fill in for former host Jon Stewart, he’s managed to place his own unique brand on the late-night show and has received multiple Emmy nominations for his work.
Although at the time of publication Noah had not yet announced when his final airdate would be, The Daily Show fans and Hollywood personalities immediately started to think about who could serve as the new host of the series. Joining the number, we too began to contemplate who would naturally be the right fit for the role and developed a list of names.
Here’s who we came up with.
Jon Stewart
This may seem a bit unorthodox, but Jon Stewart would be a perfect choice. Not only has the comedian already had the hosting gig before, but as much as Noah has put his own impression on the series, The Daily Show is still very much synonymous with Stewart.
Additionally, as of late, he’s been quite vocal about his political activism. Given the nature of The Daily Show as a platform that allows the hosts and contributors to advocate their own political opinions every now and then, this could be a good move for the comedian.
In short, Stewart once again having his own show would seem to be a win for him as he could amplify his opinions on a bigger stage, while also a win for Comedy Central if they’re hoping to recapture some of his loyal fanbase.
Samantha Bee
If Samantha Bee picked up the hosting baton, it would be the definition of kismet. Longtime fans of the Comedy Central late-night show know that Bee was a reporter on the series for years. Her reign extended from 2003 to 2015, and she left when she landed her own series, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. Sadly, The Washington Post reported in the July of this year that her show’s home network TBS decided not to renew it.
With all that being said, perhaps it's fate that she is now free to return to the program where many fans first came to know her. There’s something quite poetic about that narrative.
Nicole Byer
Nicole Byer is a comedian with plenty of hosting experience under her belt. When it comes to competition series, she’s most recently served as host for Wipeout and Netflix’s Nailed It. Also, this year she hosted The 27th Annual Critics' Choice Awards alongside All American star Taye Diggs.
Lastly, in terms of her late-night chops, she filled in for Jimmy Kimmel while he took a brief hiatus this year from Jimmy Kimmel Live! See for yourself what she’s capable of.
Ronny Chieng
As the only one on this shortlist that is actively still associated with the show, perhaps many will see Chieng as the frontrunner to replace Noah. Besides starring in projects like Young Rock, Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Crazy Rich Asians, he’s been a correspondent on The Daily Show since 2015. Given his increasing acting profile in some of the most recent blockbuster films and his deep ties to the show, the WTW team also can’t rule him out as the next host.
We should point out that his increasing presence in films could also be the very reason he doesn’t step in as host. Perhaps he prefers the freedom of starring in other things.
Jerrod Carmichael
While he may not be a name that immediately comes to your mind in terms of the new replacement host, he should be. Carmichael is an Emmy-Award-winning comedian and his dry, at times political, humor would pair well with The Daily Show. For those still scratching their head with this choice, check out his opening SNL monologue that he performed back in April of this year.
Stay tuned to see if one of our predictions proves to be true.
In the meantime, keep watching current host Trevor Noah on The Daily Show, weeknights on Comedy Central.
