Just three days after suddenly emerging as the frontrunner for Jon Stewart’s replacement on The Daily Show, South African comedian Trevor Noah is expected to be formally introduced as the show’s new host.
The New York Times reports that Comedy Central will make the pick official on Monday. That comes just after Friday’s report from Variety that Noah had joined the list of potential replacements.
Noah is a relatively unknown comedian, even to regular Daily Show viewers. He only joined the team in October and has only made three appearances on the show since. But obviously, the 31-year-old’s work has impressed the network enough to hand him the reigns of its flagship show.
“You don’t believe it for the first few hours,” Noah told the Times of learning about his new job. “You need a stiff drink, and then unfortunately you’re in a place where you can’t really get alcohol.”
Stewart also told the Times that he is “thrilled” for Noah, adding, “He’s a tremendous comic and talent that we’ve loved working with.”
Michele Ganeless, the Comedy Central president, told the Times that she is certain that Noah is the “best person for the job.”
Noah grew up in Soweto with a black Xhosa mother and a white Swiss father. He has traveled around the world and knows six languages, but he didn’t start performing in the U.S. until 2010. He did make appearances on both The Late Show and The Tonight Show before joining The Daily Show.
Noah also emerged as a candidate after top Daily Show correspondents Jason Jones and Samantha Bee left for jobs at TBS. Jessica Williams tweeted that she was unqualified for the job.
It’s still not clear when Stewart plans on leaving the show. When he announced his plans to leave early last month, he only said his departure would come by the end of the year.
Noah will be paired with Larry Wilmore, who hosts The Nightly Show after The Daily Show. Wilmore’s slot was once held by Stephen Colbert, who will be hosting CBS’ The Late Show later this year.
screenshot from Comedy Central YouTube video