The Daily Show has found Jon Stewart's successor. Biracial South African comedian Trevor Noah, who previously contributed to three on-air appearances on the show since his debut in December, will step in as host of the show following Stewart's departure.
If you haven't seen his segments on the Comedy Central show, you might have seen his stand-up special African American on Netflix, which offers more detail into his personality and biography.
The 31-year-old was raised in Soweto, an urban area of Johannesburg during the time of apartheid. He was the son of a black Xhosa mother and a white Swiss father, making for an interesting and conflicted upbringing that fuels much of his comedy today.
"You don't believe it for the first few hours," Noah said in a New York Times interview while on tour in Dubai after learning he got the gig. "You need a stiff drink, and then unfortunately you're in a place where you can't really get alcohol."
Noah, who speaks six languages, will add an international perspective to the lineup of late-night hosts. Current host Stewart, who announced his departure on Feb. 10 after a successful 16-year run, commented on Noah's appointment in a statement saying, "I'm thrilled for the show and for Trevor. He's a tremendous comic and talent that we've loved working with," adding that he "may rejoin as a correspondent just to be a part of it!!!"
In his conversations with Stewart, Noah told the NYT, he found that their trajectories were not dissimilar.
"He told me, 'I was where you were when I took over the show. Nobody knew me. I was just starting out, finding my voice, and that's when I was handed this seat,'" Noah said, adding, "Now it's my turn to steer the ship."
With Larry Wilmore hosting The Nightly Show, Noah will be the second non-white male host to recently take over a Comedy Central desk. Much like it did with The Colbert Report, The Nightly Show and The Daily Show will remain companion programs.
Noah also took to Twitter to comment on the news.
"No-one can replace Jon Stewart," he wrote. "But together with the amazing team at The Daily Show, we will continue to make this the best damn news show!"
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