American comedian and actor Roy Wood Jr. will be leaving Comedy Central’s The Daily Show when the show resumes new episodes later this month. He was a correspondent in the show and has been working there for the past eight years. According to the comedian, he hasn’t been offered the job as permanent host and he wants some time to figure out his next act.
ROY WOOD JR.’S DEPARTURE
Even though The Daily Show veteran is departing ways with the show, he says he has made the right decision to move on while also feeling grateful for everyone he has worked with and also Trevor Noah, Paramount, and Comedy Central. You can read his full statement below:
“After eight amazing years on The Daily Show, where I’ve been able to pursue my comedic and political curiosities with some of the best writers, producers, crews and correspondents anyone could hope for, I’ve made the decision to move on. I’m grateful for Trevor Noah, Paramount and especially Comedy Central for giving me the runway to also produce three one-hour stand-up specials, for letting me host two award winning podcasts, letting me write and shoot my own comedy pilot, write a film, and much, much more. I look forward to finding other ways to collaborate with them down the road.”
-Roy Wood Jr.-
He concluded by saying that he is “excited to nurture new ideas and see what the future holds.” He joined the team in 2015 and began filling in as guest host amid Trevor Noah’s exit in January after a seven-year run as host.
When asked about the departure of the comedian, a spokesperson for The Daily Show sent a brief statement saying, “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.”
RELATED: Trevor Noah Announces His Final Day on The Daily Show
THE DAILY SHOW‘S NEXT HOST
After a successful week of guest hosting The Daily Show in early April, it seemed like Wood made a strong case for taking over the top job. The Washington Post even spoke about how “Roy Wood Jr. crushed the toughest room in comedy.” In April, Comedy Central’s figures showed that Wood has the second-best ratings of the show’s first 11 guest hosts.
He was second only to Al Franken and beating out Hasan Minhaj. Even though the comedic actor was making amazing progress in possibly taking on the host role, Variety wrote a story in August about how Minhaj was a leading candidate for the job.
It was later reported that Comedy Central is planning to go back to square one when it comes to searching for a permanent host after The New Yorker published a story revealing that Minhaj had fabricated stories in his standup specials, some even included incidents involving islamophobia.
For Woods, he still believes that Minhaj is a strong candidate for the job. “I think Hasan checks a lot of boxes that the network would want and people would want. Hasan’s young, he’s global and he has the political I.Q.” As of right now, there hasn’t been any official word of who will be the next Daily Show host.
RELATED: Trevor Noah To Leave The Daily Show After 7-Year Run
What do you guys think of Roy Wood Jr. leaving The Daily Show? Are you a fan of The Daily Show? Who has been your favorite host? Who do you think should take over as the new host of The Daily Show? Let us know and don’t forget to check out our socials! If you like articles like this, make sure to follow us for more content.
SOURCE: NPR | The New Yorker | USA TODAY | Variety
KEEP READING: Blockbuster Releases Hilarious Trailer and Official Key Art
