The Daily Show has had a busy six months after host Trevor Noah surprised everyone by announcing he was stepping down after seven years.
Noah’s last show was in December, and the Comedy Central series has shaken up the format with a revolving chair of guest hosts including the likes of Chelsea Handler, Kal Penn and Sarah Silverman as well as its own correspondents including Roy Wood Jr. and Desi Lydic.
Showrunner Jen Flanz said during the show’s panel at Deadline’s Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted event that it’s been a fun ride. “It’s been really cool to see so many different voices given the authority of the desk,” she said. “It’s hard to think about the next thing. There’s no time to be sad about Trevor [leaving], there’s no time to think about what’s next. We’re just living in it right now.”
Wood added that he enjoyed his recent stint as host. “The thing that I learned the most, the biggest difference from correspondent to hosting, is that as a correspondent you get the freedom to be a little bit of a chaos agent, and supportive of a greater story. But as a host, you still have to be able to find the truth or the feeling or the emotion behind something.”
He also revealed that Noah occasionally pops in to watch the show and Wood teases him that it’s like watching your ex-girlfriend.
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The trio agreed that Noah had a huge impact on the franchise. Flanz said two things that Noah was adamant about was finding viewers where they are, particularly online, and building out its content on different platforms.
“I don’t think anybody saw The Daily Show desk being taken by anybody when Trevor took over from Jon Stewart,” she added. “He kind of paves the way for guest [hosts], so somebody that’s not Jon could take the desk, and he did it really well.”
David Kibuuka, a supervising producer and writer on the show, said it was sad that Noah left but added that there’s been a “rush of energy” every week with new hosts. “Trevor said it was his time to go, so all of us are thinking of it more like an opportunity. We’re having a good time — and he’s not dead.”
Check back Monday for the panel video.
