Roy Wood Jr. brought laughs to ‘The Daily Show’ for eight years. Why is he leaving now?
Comedian Roy Wood Jr. is bringing his time on “The Daily Show” to an end.
After eight years as a correspondent under former hosts Jon Stewart and Trevor Noah, Wood told NPR on Thursday of his plans to leave “The Daily Show.”
“There’s no sense in me doing what I’ve been doing for the last eight years while concurrently trying to think of a new thing to do,” he said. “The job of correspondent, it’s not really one where you can juggle multiple things.”
He continued: “I think after eight years, I’ve earned the right to just, you know, take a quick break.”
The South African comedian who replaced Jon Stewart in 2015 ended his seven-year run on the Comedy Central program Thursday. Here’s how it went down.
Wood joined the Emmy-winning “Daily Show” in September 2015 as Noah prepared to take the helm. Before the series, Wood starred on TBS’ “Sullivan and Son” and appeared on a number of other late-night shows including “Late Night With Seth Meyers” and “The Late Show With David Letterman.”
During his tenure, Wood covered a diverse set of news topics including envelopegate at the 2017 Oscars, R. Kelly’s sex-trafficking case, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Months after Noah left the“Daily Show” desk last year. Wood tried his hand at leading the late-night series as one of its many guest hosts. In April, Wood poked fun at former President Trump‘s indictment and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ corruption scandal.
President Biden and “The Daily Show’s” Roy Wood Jr. joked about Tucker Carlson, Don Lemon and the Fox News-Dominion lawsuit at the 2023 White House Correspondents’ dinner. “I too have been blindsided by the sudden departure of the host of a fake news program,” Wood quipped about Carlson.
“You could’ve bought Brett Kavanaugh for a bottle of Jager and a Southwest boarding pass,” Wood joked. “This is the better deal — boarding group B.”
News of Wood’s departure comes as Comedy Central continues its search for a new host to replace Noah. The network has yet to name a new host, but “Daily Show” alum Hasan Minhaj — who was also a guest host this year — was reportedly a front-runner for the role, Variety noted in August. Amid the “Patriot Act” star’s recent “emotional truth” controversy, Comedy Central reportedly widened its search.
Wood, who told NPR that he does not have any negative feelings toward “The Daily Show,” said he would reconsider his exit if offered the starring role.
“If you’re offered the chance to host ‘The Daily Show’ in any point of your life, you have to stop for a second and consider that,” he told NPR. “I think the next question becomes, ‘What does “The Daily Show” look like in 2024? What does late night look like?’ That is a huge question that I believe, personally, has to be answered.”
Hasan Minhaj explains embellishment in his stand-up: ‘I use the tools of standup comedy — hyperbole, changing names and locations, and compressing timelines.’
In a statement shared with The Times on Thursday, a spokesperson for “The Daily Show” praised Wood as 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,” the statement continued. “We thank him for his time with us and can’t wait to see what he does next.”
Wood will continue his Happy to Be Here comedy tour through the first months of 2024. The “Job Fair” podcast host’s next stop will be on Oct. 14 in Westport, Conn.
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