Topline
Trevor Noah is stepping down from The Daily Show after seven years. He took over the USA late-night talk and satirical news television program after Jon Stewart left.
Key Background
“One of the things I found myself experiencing through-out the night and even today was a feeling of gratitude,” says Noah, speaking of his journey with co-worker Roy Wood Jr. and correspondents, as well thanking the audience on The Daily Show.
“It’s been absolutely amazing. It’s something that I never expected,” says South African Noah of his time as anchor. “I found myself thinking throughout the time of everything we’ve gone through; the Trump presidency, the pandemic, just the journey, more pandemic and I realize that after the seven years, my time is up.”
He adds that during the two years spent at his apartment, hosting The Daily Social Distancing Show, he was not able to do stand-up comedy, and he realizes “there’s another part of my life I want to carry on exploring,” hinting at his return to stand-up.
Background
In his time in the USA, Noah has won an Emmy for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series in 2017, as well as hosted the GRAMMY awards in 2021 and 2022.
He also became the first African to host the White House Correspondent Dinner in 2022, asking people to donate to KwaZulu-Natal flood victims.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Noah is worth $100 million.
Following Jon Stewart as anchor was an unenviable task as a relative unknown at the time, but Noah transformed the show for the future, making political and world-events less morbid and yet was still sensitive to serious topics. While public opinion is always divided on how to handle comedy and politics, for many South Africans, Noah is the main reason anyone watched The Daily Show or knew this much about USA events.