Roy Wood Jr. Leaves “Daily Show” As The Hunt For A Host Goes On

After Trevor Noah unexpectedly announced his departure from the late-night show in front of a live audience last year, the program has been looking for a new host.

The latest development at Comedy Central’s long-running show as executives search for a replacement for former host Trevor Noah is that Roy Wood Jr., a longtime contributor to the late-night program, will not appear on it when it returns to production later this month.

The comedian told NPR, “I can’t come up with Plan B while still working with Plan A,” adding that he doesn’t want to stay on the show as a correspondent while someone else is being considered for the lead position.

“Being a reporter is not exactly a profession that allows you to multitask. I think ” eight years is a terrific run,” he said.

His departure highlights issues at the long-running show as Comedy Central expands its hunt for a new frontman.

In late 2022, in front of a live audience that had witnessed the taping of a new episode, Noah abruptly announced his departure. Since then, Comedy Central has depended on guest hosts; however, the Hollywood writers’ strike forced the program to cancel.

Hasan Minhaj, who had guest-hosted alongside Chelsea Handler, Marlon Wayans, Kal Penn, and Sarah Silverman, was chosen by the Paramount Global network as a front-runner.

However, it now seems that the network changed its mind after learning that Minhaj had embellished some of his autobiographical comedy routines, as reported by the New Yorker.

Similar chaos has previously occurredon “Daily Show.” As Jon Stewart’s time on the show ended, a few of the correspondents started looking for other opportunities.

After Stewart was away from “Daily,” John Oliver, who had covered for him, went to HBO to start “Last Week Tonight.” Samantha Bee, a veteran contributor, leapt to start her show on TBS, a division of Warner Bros. Discovery.

On October 16, “Daily Show” is anticipated to resume its original programming. Throughout the remainder of the year, the show will be hosted by guest hosts. In the interim, executives hope to find and install a replacement host by 2024.

Roy Wood Jr. is a cherished comrade and a comic genius. Comedy Central stated, “His humour and insights helped us make sense of the pandemic, the 2016 election, and endless hours of Fox News.” “We are grateful that he spent time with us and are excited to see what he does next.”