Trevor Noah Announces He’s Leaving ‘The Daily Show’ After 7 Years: ‘It’s Time’

Trevor Noah on The Daily Show (Comedy Central)

Trevor Noah stunned viewers Thursday night when he announced he’s leaving The Daily Show.

“I realized that after seven years, my time is up, but in the most beautiful way,” Noah said, causing the audience to gasp.

“I’ve loved hosting the show. It’s been one of my greatest challenges. It’s been one of my greatest joys,” he continued. “I’ve loved trying to figure out how to make people laugh, even when the stories are particularly shitty. On the worst days, we’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together. But after seven years, I feel like it’s time.”

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Noah said after the pandemic and spending two years in his apartment, he wants to explore other things, travel and perform more stand-up comedy. He thanked Comedy Central for giving him the opportunity to host the program.

“I’m really grateful to a network who believed in this random comedian nobody knew on this side of the world,” he said.

The South African comedian took over hosting duties from Jon Stewart in 2015. At the time, Noah was an unknown in the United States and faced challenges winning over audiences before he found his footing.

In a statement to the Los Angeles Times following Noah’s announcement, Comedy Central praised the comic.

“We are grateful to Trevor for our amazing partnership over the past seven years. With no timetable for his departure, we’re working together on next steps,” the network said.