Roy Wood Jr. Exits ‘The Daily Show’ as Host Search Drags On

Roy Wood Jr. on The Daily Show (Credit: Comedy Central)

Roy Wood Jr. is leaving The Daily Show after eight years as a correspondent.

Some fans thought the comedian would become the next host of the program after Trevor Noah left in December 2022.

But as Comedy Central’s search for a new host goes on and on, Wood told NPR he’s moving on.

“I can’t come up with what Plan B is while still working with Plan A,” he said in an interview published Thursday. “The job of correspondent… it’s not really one where you can juggle multiple things. [And] I think eight years is a good run.”

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Wood later released a statement to the media offering more details on his departure.

“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,” he said. “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.”

The comic added that he’s excited about the future.

“I look forward to finding other ways to collaborate with them down the road,” he said. “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.”

Following his announcement, The Daily Show thanked Wood for his work on the show.

“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 show said in a statement.

The late-night program has been using fill-in hosts since Noah departed. Leslie Jones, Wanda Sykes, Chelsea Handler, Al Franken, D.L. Hughley, John Leguizamo, Hasan Minhaj, Kal Penn, Sarah Silverman, and Marlon Wayans were all brought in as guest hosts.

Daily Show correspondents including Wood, Jordan Klepper, and Desi Lydic also got a shot in the hosting chair. Fellow correspondents Dulcé Sloan, Michael Kosta, Lewis Black, and Ronny Chieng were scheduled to guest host before production shut down in May because of the Writers Guild of America strike.

A permanent host is expected to be announced in 2024.

The Daily Show will be back with new episodes on Monday, Oct. 16, at 11 p.m. ET/PT.


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About Anita Bennett

Anita Bennett is the editor and founder of Urban Hollywood 411. She can be reached on Twitter @tvanita.