Trevor Noah Announces He's Leaving 'The Daily Show' - Are His Poor Ratings the Reason?
A progressive comedian is quitting his struggling cable show.
Trevor Noah announced Thursday he is leaving as host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.”
He said the timeline for his exit has yet to be worked out.
Noah was tapped for the Comedy Central show as a replacement for Jon Stewart in 2015, according to Variety.
“After the seven years, my time is up,” the 38-year-old South African told viewers during the taping of Thursday night’s show.
“I’ve loved hosting this show,” Noah said. “It’s been one of my greatest challenges. It’s been one of my greatest joys. … We’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together.”
The former stand-up performer said he was yet to work out the “timings and the whens” of his departure.
He thanked his audience for supporting his program and Comedy Central for giving him the opportunity to host the long-running show.
Noah indicated he intended to return to stand-up comedy after leaving “The Daily Show.”
“I realize there’s another part of my life I want to carry on exploring, you know?” he told the audience. “I miss learning other languages. I miss going to other countries and putting on shows.”
WARNING: The following video contains vulgar language that some viewers may find offensive.
In a statement obtained by Deadline, Comedy Central congratulated Noah for his tenure hosting the late-night show.
“We are grateful to Trevor for our amazing partnership over the past seven years,” a network representative said.
“With no timetable for his departure, we’re working together on next steps.”
Noah had grown tired of the “demanding work schedule” of the “Daily Show” job, according to The Sun, which cited anonymous sources.
However, the outlet reported in June he could be next in line to host CBS’ “Late Late Show,” replacing James Corden. The network gig would represent a promotion from the cable Comedy Central position.
That would be surprising since Noah struggled to perform as well as his “Daily Show” predecessor in ratings and acclaim.
Since Stewart left, the Comedy Central show has not won an Emmy Award, although it has been regularly nominated for one, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail.
Viewing figures during Stewart’s tenure were around 1.5 million for each episode and went as high as 2.5 million in 2013, according to the New York Post.
Noah initially averaged 800,000 nightly viewers, later dipping to a pitiful 400,000.
His ratings also languished in comparison with his competitors on both broadcast and cable television.
Late Night TV Rankings Sep 19-25
1⃣@GutfeldFox! @GregGutfeld
2⃣@StephenAtHome
3⃣@JimmyKimmel
4⃣@JimmyFallon
5⃣@SRuhle
6⃣@FoxNewsNight @GillianHTurner @MikeEmanuelFox @KevinCorke
7⃣@BillMaher
8⃣@Nightline
9⃣@SethMeyers
🔟@JKCorden
#11 @DonLemon
#12 @IamJohnOliver
#13 @TrevorNoah pic.twitter.com/jEZL1hKsPy— RoadMN 📈 (@RoadMN) September 27, 2022
Noah has been a reliable critic of former President Donald Trump and a supporter of the Democratic Party, Deadline noted.
The liberal host questioned how the United States had become “this hateful” after Trump’s upset 2016 election victory, and he continues to make the former president his main target.
Trump can declassify documents with his brain? He can’t even READ documents with his brain pic.twitter.com/f2bCTfZCx6
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) September 23, 2022
When he brought his political leanings to a gig hosting the Grammy Awards last year, viewership dropped a whopping 53 percent.
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