Trevor Noah Announces Departure From ‘The Daily Show’ After Seven-Year Hosting Run

Trevor Noah, the successor to Jon Stewart as host of The Daily Show who hosted the show through some chaotic years including the Donald Trump presidency and the height of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, announced he will be stepping down from the show after seven years behind the iconic desk.

Noah left the audience audibly shocked when he brought it up in a clip from the show shared online on Thursday. He was initially reflecting on the seven-year anniversary of the show and his gratitude for the crew and fans, then said, “I realized that after the seven years, my time is up. But in the most beautiful way, honestly.”

“I’ve loved trying to figure out how to make people laugh even when the stories are particularly sh––ty on the worst days. You know, we’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together,” Noah added.

He also mentioned that he was motivated to do this after going back on the road touring as a stand-up after years quarantined, saying, “I realized there’s another part of my life I want to carry on exploring.”

He also assured fans that his departure isn’t “instant” and cracked, “If I owe you money, I’ll still pay you.”

The comic also came up with a funny metaphor to illustrate how he felt taking on the hosting mantle from Stewart. “I sort of felt like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I came in for a tour of what the previous show was,” he said.

While hosting TDS, Noah also fronted several other series and award shows to boot. He hosted a short video game competition series called Player vs. Player, hosted the Grammy Awards twice and even pulled off one the most difficult stand-up comedian bookings: hosting the White House Correspondents Dinner.