Trevor Noah Kept Decision To Leave 'Daily Show' A Secret From Comedy Central Execs, Mum During Meeting With Boss Day Before Announcement
Sources noted that as Noah's career thrives, he's 'proven incredibly difficult to replace' to Comedy Central execs.
Oct. 3 2022, Published 3:00 p.m. ET
Trevor Noah kept his decision to leave The Daily Show a secret from his bosses at Comedy Central — even having a meeting with one the day before his announcement where he failed to mention the bombshell, RadarOnline.com has learned.
On September 29, Noah, 38, announced to his studio audience that he was walking away from the show after 7 years.
Noah told the crowd, “I’ve loved hosting this show. It’s been one of my greatest challenges. It’s been one of my greatest joys. I’ve loved trying to figure out how to make people laugh even when the stories are particularly s----- on the worst days.”
Sources told Puck that the day before, Noah had lunch with his boss, Chris McCarthy, president, and C.E.O. of MTV Entertainment Group. An insider said the comedian did not give McCarthy any hint about what was to come.
Sources said Noah not only kept it from McCarthy but blindsided show producers, members of his team and a majority of his staff.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, sources said the daily grind of the show had been difficult for Noah given his busy schedule. The entertainer still performs stand-up, filmed a recent Netflix comedy special and has various other projects in development.
Noah took over the reins of the show in 2015 after Jon Stewart stepped down. In 2017, Noah signed a 5-year extension to keep hosting the show through 2022.
Insiders told Puck, In 2019, McCarthy extended Noah's contract by three years. The new deal had the comedian hosting The Daily Show through the 2023-24 season — as long as certain options were picked up. Sources said the network had every intention of keeping Noah on the air as long as possible.
Comedy Central execs were taken aback by the decision but sources said there is no bad blood between the parties. Noah is expected to stay on until late 2023 — which will allow the network time to find a replacement.
Sources said that Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr. is a frontrunner to take Noah’s spot.