The Daily Show is still in an interesting position over a year after the departure of its most recent host, Trevor Noah. As of this writing, Comedy Central has still yet to land on a permanent replacement for Noah, and various guest presenters have been brought in during the interim. One person who was largely viewed as a prime candidate for the job was Roy Wood Jr., a longtime writer and correspondent on the program. Wood has since left the program but still seems eager for the talk show to find a new lead. On that note, he was seen mouthing “Please hire a host” when Noah accepted an Emmy for the show, and Wood has since responded.
During the 2024 Primetime Emmy Awards, The Daily Show managed to take home the prize for Outstanding Talk Series. Many seemed focused on Trevor Noah’s acceptance speech, in which he joked that he knew the show could win if HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver was not in the category. However, an astute social media user noticed that Roy Wood Jr. – who was among the crew that stood behind Noah on stage – lip synced the previously mentioned phrase. When called out for the sly moment, Wood dropped a brief, but cheeky response on X:
Chill fam, I was trying to do that [on] the low. 😂😂
Social media commentators will certainly keep you on your toes, that’s for sure. It’s honestly pretty impressive just how often some viewers manage to pick up on small details. If I’m being completely honest, I totally missed what the comedian did after his former show became one of the 75th Emmy Awards winners. His actions may be humorous on the surface, yet they also indicate the feelings of so many who would like the program to find a new host.
Over the past few months, it was reported that the network was conducting a wide search for the next person to sit in the coveted host’s chair. Comedian Hasan Minhaj had reportedly emerged as a frontrunner for the Daily Show job by August 2023. However, plans apparently changed after Minhaj was embroiled in a controversy, which saw him accused of embellishing parts of his personal life in his comedy routines.
Roy Wood Jr., who was on the show from 2015 to 2023, was largely viewed as the heir apparent to Trevor Noah. Also an actor, Wood is known for his sharp writing and forward delivery, which was present when he roasted “a-holes” at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2023. Wood discussed the possibility of hosting the long-running political chat show in late 2022. At the time, he acknowledged that one “can’t say no to an opportunity like that” but also admitted that he hadn’t given it too much thought.
There’s currently no way to tell who just might be tapped by the network to take on the position that was once held by Jon Stewart and Trevor Noah. There are two things that can be said at this moment, though. The first is that whoever winds up with the job is going to have some massive shoes to fill. And the second is that after Roy Wood Jr.’s comments, it appears that more than a few people are still invested in this talent search. We’ll see if they stay “chill” while the decision is made.
The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11 p.m. ET on Comedy Central as part of the 2024 TV schedule, and you can also stream episodes with the use of a Paramount+ subscription.
