The Daily Show is desperately in need of a host. Trevor Noah said goodbye to America and the coveted host role in September after being tapped to take over for Jon Stewart in 2015. The departure was surprising for many audiences, and behind-the-scenes personnel, who felt blindsided by the hosts' abrupt exit. After careful deliberation, it seems like the well-loved Comedy Central staple has finally found its front runner, and it shouldn’t be surprising to fans.
According to a report from Variety, comedina/actor Hasan Minhaj is being eyed to take over the role. Minhaj was one of the many guest hosts who filled in for Noah as the show continued without a permanent host. The comedian has experience hosting a political satire role, as he had his own show on Netflix called Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, which ran for six seasons. His Daily Show experience is also abundant, as he served as a correspondent under both Jon Stewart and Trevor Noah.
For Daily Show fans, Minhaj was a staple and gained quick popularity amongst avid viewers. He rose to public prominence when he was selected to give a speech at the 2017 White House Correspondents Dinner during a time of extreme political controversy. The speech was viewed by millions, with many lauding his handling of the situations. Since the speech, the comedian has also had two very popular comedy specials: Homecoming King and The King’s Jester, both of which are available with a Netflix subscription.
While Minhaj has emerged as the front runner, he has not been the only name floated around in the months following Noah’s departure. Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr. has also circled the position, and is still in the conversation. Additionally, correspondent Jessica Williams was named as a possible successor, however the Two Dope Queens star's commitment to acting may prevent her from taking over the chair. Williams currently stars alongside Jason Segal and Harrison Ford in the hit AppleTV+ show, Shrinking.
While nothing is official quite yet, Minhaj’s status as a frontrunner is something all Daily Show fans should be excited about. He has been a friend of the show for a while now, and has proved himself as a unique political mind and is able to infuse his sense of humor into topical issues. He is a part of the long held tradition of getting content banned in other countries for his scathing commentary, and has a unique voice that will likely update the longstanding variety show, while also tonally being consistent with his predecessors. We’ll have to wait and see if the comedy star takes up the mantle.
You can revisit Hasan Minhaj’s various appearances as a correspondent and guest host by checking out previous episodes of The Daily Show with a Paramount+ subscription. The show is currently off air due to the 2023 WGA Writers Strike and SAG-AFTRA Strike, but hopefully new episodes with a new host will return to primetime in the near future.
