The Daily Show has found its new host to replace Jon Stewart at the end of the year. According to the New York Times, South African comedian Trevor Noah will take over hosting duties on the popular late-night talk show.
In December Noah made his first appearance on the show and discussed being biracial and growing up in South Africa. “I never thought I’d be more afraid of police in America than in South Africa,” he said with a smile. “It kind of makes me a little nostalgic for the old days back home.”
In an interview with the Times, Noah expressed excitement about his new role. “You don’t believe it for the first few hours,” Noah said. “You need a stiff drink, and then unfortunately you’re in a place where you can’t really get alcohol.”
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After 16 years on the show, Stewart announced his retirement in February and said he’s pleased with the appointment of Noah. “I’m thrilled for the show and for Trevor,” Stewart said in a statement. “He’s a tremendous comic and talent that we’ve loved working with.”
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Noah, who grew up in Soweto, is the son of a black Xhosa mother and a white Swiss father and commonly discusses his heritage. “My mother had to be very clandestine about who my father was,” Noah said. “He couldn’t be on my birth certificate.”
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As far as stepping into Stewart’s role as host, Noah realizes he has some big shoes to fill and that not everyone is going to be accepting of him at first. “We live in a world where some people still say Beyoncé can’t sing,” he said. “Clearly I’m not immune to that.”
Noah now joins Larry Wilmore as the most recent black man on late-night television. Two black men on late-night television? This is the change late-night TV needs.