Shockingly enough, it’s been nearly a year since comedian Trevor Noah stepped down from his run as the host of The Daily Show, and in a situation that echoes the issues Jeopardy! had following Alex Trebek’s death, the Comedy Central mainstay has yet to cement a permanent replacement. One of the early fan-favorites who was thought to be a major contender to take over the desk was Roy Wood Jr., who first signed on as a correspondent back in 2015 when Noah first replaced Jon Stewart. Those hopes seem to be dying on the vine, however, as Wood says he’s set to make his Daily Show exit. Say it ain’t so, Ro…y!
Roy Wood Jr. opened up about his decision to leave the cable hit with NPR, explaining that it’s not doing his career a whole lot of good to stick around a TV gig that isn’t actively pushing him higher up the call sheet, as it were. Here’s how he put it:
I can’t come up with Plan B is while still working with Plan A. The job of correspondent…it’s not really one where you can juggle multiple things. [And] I think eight years is a good run.
Hard to argue with that kind of logic, especially since the WGA strike and SAG-AFTRA strike brought the industry to a grinding halt throughout the summer, which no doubt gave Wood more time to think about what his future options are. The hilarious stand-up star revealed that he’s already alerted his bosses at Comedy Central of the decision, but that at the time of the interview, he had not brought he news up with anyone at The Daily Show proper. Which technically means there could still be time for the show’s producers to make the move to secure him as the host for the long run.
Because even though he wants to bow out, Roy Wood Jr. says he’s not in the know about who the top options are to take over the host position, which presumably shifted somewhat after Hasan Minhaj went from major frontrunner to difficult choice after he admitted to embellishing personal stories for his stand-up routines. And if it turns out he IS one of the comedians being considered? He might be swayed into saying yes. In his words:
If you’re offered the chance to host The Daily Show at any point in your life…you have to stop for a second and consider that. The next question becomes, ‘What does The Daily Show look like in 2024? And what does late night look like in 2024?’
Wood spoke in the past about possibly landing the host job as Trevor Noah’s replacement, and if he sounds willing to still be interested after ten months of seeking out other candidates, take him up on it! The dude clearly knows the job, and has proven his skills as a guest host in the interim. Which isn’t to say that other potential options like Kal Penn aren’t worthy of taking over, but I just want it to be Wood’s time to shine.
Alas, if this statement from Comedy Central is anything to go on, Roy Wood Jr. is already being viewed as a former employee:
Roy Wood Jr. is a comedic genius and beloved teammate. His insights and hilarity helped us make sense of the 2016 election, the pandemic, and countless hours of Fox News. We thank him for his time with us and can’t wait to see what he does next.
The Daily Show is set to make its post-strike return with new episodes (fronted by guest hosts) on Monday, October 16. Head to our 2023 TV premiere schedule to see what other new and returning shows are starting up soon.