Roy Wood Jr. Exits ‘The Daily Show’ After Eight Years

There are many variables in life, but few are as constant as change. For Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, this reality has been rather stark in the past year. It was announced in September last year that Trevor Noah was stepping down as the host of the popular late-night show after seven years. A replacement is yet to emerge, however, longtime contributor Roy Wood Jr. has revealed he won’t be returning to the show when it resumes production. This serves as the latest bump in the road as the show’s top brass seek to replace Noah.

In a discussion with NPR, the comedian unpacked his reasons for departing the show which included scheduling and not being interested in waiting while “waiting for someone else to take the top job.” Wood is now set to figure out what his next step would be. “I can’t come up with [what] Plan B is while still working with Plan A,” the comedian said to NPR. “The job of correspondent…it’s not really one where you can juggle multiple things. [And] I think eight years is a good run.”

“After eight amazing years on The Daily Show, where I’ve been able to pursue my comedic and political curiosities with some of the best writers, producers, crew, and correspondents anyone could hope for, I’ve made the decision to move on,” Wood said in a statement. “I’m grateful to Trevor Noah, Paramount, and especially Comedy Central for giving me the runway to also produce three one-hour stand-up specials, for letting me host two award-winning podcasts, letting me write & shoot my own comedy pilot, write a film, and much, much more.”

“I look forward to finding other ways to collaborate with them down the road,” he added. “Until then, I am excited to nurture new ideas and see what the future holds for me in the shifting sands of late-night television, scripted comedy, and whatever else the comedy gods may have in store for me in 2024 and beyond.”

Guest Hosts Have Carried ‘The Daily Show’ Since Noah’s Departure

Since the departure of Noah, The Daily Show has featured a number of guest hosts including Leslie Jones and Hassan Minhaj. There have been suggestions that Minhaj would be perfect to replace Noah, so far though, a replacement is not expected till 2024. Speaking about Wood’s departure, a spokesperson for The Daily Show said in a statement, “Roy Wood Jr. is a comedic genius and beloved teammate. His insights and hilarity 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 does next.”

The Daily Show did not air during the WGA strike, the show is set to return on October 16.