Roy Wood Jr. quits the “Daily Show” after losing the host gig

Roy Wood Jr. began his career as a reporter at Daily show On the same day as its last host, Trevor Noah. So when Noah surprised everyone — including Wood — by announcing his departure from the show after just seven years last fall, the Birmingham, Alabama-born comedian instantly became the front-runner at the party.

But now, with the Comedy Central series returning on Monday, October 16, Wood has announced that he will also be leaving, after not being offered the host seat.

“I can’t come up with Plan B while I’m still working on Plan A,” Wood said NPR’s Eric Deggans said in a… New interview Thursday. “The job of a reporter…it’s not really a job where you can juggle multiple things. [And] “I think eight years is a good amount of time.”

In a statement sent to The Daily Beast, Wood said: “After eight amazing years Daily show“As I was able to pursue my comedic and political curiosities with some of the best writers, producers, crew and correspondents anyone could hope to have, I made the decision to move forward.”

He added that he is “grateful to Trevor Noah, Paramount and especially Comedy Central for giving me the runway to produce three one-hour stand-up specials, for allowing me to host two award-winning podcasts, and for allowing me to write and film my own comedy pilot.” And writing a film and much more” and looks forward to “finding other ways to collaborate with them in the future.”

“Until then,” he concluded, “I’m excited to nurture new ideas and see what the future holds for me in the quicksand of late-night TV, scripted comedy, and whatever else the comedy gods may have in store for me in 2024 and beyond.” “. Wood, who recently raised his profile by hosting the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

Spokesman Daily show Likewise, he praised Wood, saying: “Roy Wood Jr. is a comedic genius and a beloved teammate. His insights and humor helped us make sense of the 2016 election, the pandemic, and countless hours of Fox News. We thank him for his time with us and can’t wait to see what He will do it next.

Wood’s decision to leave the show after it became clear he wouldn’t get the big chair mirrors comments he made to The Daily Beast on The Last Laugh podcast shortly after Noah’s announcement. After saying he would never “say no” to the opportunity himself, Wood admitted it might be strange to stay with someone else.

“It will depend on the host. It will depend on the creative direction of the show,” Wood said at the time. “What are you trying to do? How do you fit into that? Does this creative direction suit my comedic skills and give me an opportunity to show my identity?

So, with Wood out of the picture, who are the main contenders to take over Comedy Central’s multi-decade-long late-night franchise?

The network said it plans to continue rotating hosts through the end of 2023 and introduce the new host in early 2024. Wood’s colleague, Hasan Minhaj, a former reporter, was considered a strong candidate — until he was criticized for making up large portions of the TV shows. his position, and then bring those lies into the real world.

Comedian Chelsea Handler has expressed interest in hosting Daily show Clearly, she told The Daily Beast in January that it would be a “perfect” job for her, and that “there will definitely be conversations” about it after the guest-hosting program ends. And last night I spoke with Jimmy Fallon Tonight showHandler reiterated her argument that women should host Daily showWhether she is or not.

Asked directly by Fallon if she would run, Handler said, “What I will say about that is that I think we’re in a very important cultural moment where women are dominating the culture,” citing Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Hollywood stars. Barbie film. “Whether it’s me or not, they have to hire a woman. Wouldn’t you all like to see a woman behind the desk?!”

Of course, Comedy Central could do what it did eight years ago and hire a relatively unknown comedian to take over one of late night’s biggest jobs. This decision worked well, until it didn’t.

At the time, in 2015, the network declined to lock up one of its most experienced correspondents, John Oliver, who had recently replaced host Jon Stewart over the summer and was widely seen as his most obvious replacement. As a free agent, Oliver decided to move to HBO, and has since won seven consecutive Emmy Awards in a category he previously dominated Daily show.

For more, listen to Roy Wood Jr The Last Laugh Podcast.