'The Daily Show' Announces Roster Of Guest Hosts Amid Trevor Noah's Pending Exit

Even though Comedy Central execs do not know who will replace Trevor Noah when he leaves "The Daily Show" on December 8, they have a long list of guest hosts ready to take the reins for an undisclosed period.

This group includes Kal Penn, Sarah Silverman, Wanda Sykes, and Chelsea Handler. Handler's rotation in the show would make it her latest late-night guest hosting gig since she filled in for Jimmy Kimmel during his summer vacations.

Other big names expected at the fake-news desk are "Saturday Night Live" alums — Al Franken, Sarah Silverman, Leslie Jones, comedy stars — D.L. Hughley, John Leguizamo, and Marlon Wayans, and former "Daily Show" regular, Hasan Minhaj.

The show's executive producer and showrunner, Jen Flanz, told the outlet that this would be "the first time we're really having outsiders into our house." Execs were left blindsided when Noah announced his sudden exit from the TV program after seven years behind its desk in September. 

His announcement also left the comedy series hostless, resulting in it facing its most prolonged period without a permanent host. Speaking on the unlikelihood of starting the next "Daily Show" loop before next September, Comedy Central President, Chris McCarthy, said:

“We’re going to use the back half of the broadcast year — call it from now until June — to really experiment and try different things. And then our goal would be to relaunch in the fall.” 

Although McCarthy emphasized they would not be rushing into a decision, it is possible that the cable channel would announce the new host(s) before next fall. This would give the newbie(s) enough time to step into Noah's big boy boots, with 12 months to settle in before the 2024 American presidential election.

The last time the entertainment outfit faced this dilemma was in 2015 when its then-host, Jon Stewart, suddenly announced his intention to step down that same year. However, The Blast shared that his announcement gave Comedy Central enough time to sort out a replacement.

As of October, the company had stopped their execs from publicly addressing the occurrence except through a statement that read in parts:

"In time, we will turn to the next chapter of "The Daily Show," and all of our incredible correspondents will be at the top of that list. Until then, we are focused on celebrating Trevor and thanking him for his many contributions."

Speculations soon started spreading that Noah would get replaced by stand-up comedian Roy Wood Jr., performers Ronny Chieng and Desi Lydic, and contributor Jordan Klepper.

Noah broke the hearts of his worldwide fans when he announced on September 29 that he was departing from "The Daily Show." The show's official handle shared a clip of the day's taping on Instagram.

The Blast noted that the South African native began by expressing his gratitude to his fans for sticking with him during his near-decade hosting gig. Things soon became emotional when he said:

"I realized that after the seven years, my time is up but in the most beautiful way, honestly. I’ve loved hosting this show. It’s been one of my greatest challenges. It’s been one of my greatest joys."

While reflecting on his love for trying to figure out new ways to make people laugh "even when the stories are particularly sh*tty on the worst days," Noah noted that he and his audience had "laughed and cried together." 

Unfortunately, after several years behind the "Daily Show," Noah felt "like it's time" to let his career as a satirical news program handler go — a decision that has been a long time coming. The Primetime Emmy Awards winner's life had taken on new meaning during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic that isolated the world. In the words of the political commentator: 

"I spent two years in my apartment, not on the road. Stand-up was done. When I got back out there again, I realized there’s another part of my life I want to carry on exploring."

Noah added that he wanted to focus his energy on going to other countries, learning other languages, and putting on stand-up shows. His speech was met with a standing ovation and loud applause from the crew and the audience.