Roy Wood Jr. Leaves The Daily Show After Eight Years: NPR

Roy Wood Jr. during election coverage The Daily Show with Trevor Noah In 2016.

Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Comedy Central

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Roy Wood Jr. during election coverage The Daily Show with Trevor Noah In 2016.

Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Comedy Central

Comedian Roy Wood Jr. says he will not return to his position as a Comedy Central correspondent Daily show when the show resumes with new episodes later this month, concluding the work it first began eight years ago.

The reason: Since he hasn’t been offered a permanent job as host of the show, Wood wants some time to figure out his next role.

“I can’t come up with Plan B while I’m still working on Plan A,” says Wood, who decided he didn’t want to be on Plan A. Daily show As a reporter waiting for someone else to take the top job. “The job of a reporter…isn’t really a job where you can juggle multiple things. [And] “I think eight years is a good amount of time.”

When asked about Wood’s departure and the issues surrounding his decision, a spokesman said: Daily show He sent a brief statement: “Roy Wood Jr. is a comedic genius and a beloved colleague. His vision and humor 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.”

Wood says he doesn’t know if his name is being considered for the top position, and he has already informed Comedy Central of his intention not to return. (“What could they really say?” he adds when asked about the cable channel’s reaction. [They’re] “You’re not going to give me the job just to keep me.”) But if Comedy Central offered him the permanent host job now, the comedian says he’d still consider it.

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“If I offer you the opportunity to host Daily show At any point in your life…you have to stop for a moment and think about that,” he said, adding that he had not reported it Daily show From his decision. “The next question becomes, ‘What does he do? Daily show Looks like it’s 2024? What will late night look like in 2024?

Fans have debated online whether Wood should get the permanent job, especially after that Reports earlier this year Former reporter Hassan Minhaj was the main candidate for this position.

The show began introducing a succession of guest hosts starting in January after South African comedian Trevor Noah left the job. But those appearances ended in May after a Writers Guild of America strike halted production.

Wood appeared to have made a strong case for the top job earlier this year, after a successful week of hosting guests Daily show In early April and attracted attention in White House Correspondents’ Dinner At the end of that month.

“How Roy Wood Jr. Crushed the Toughest Room in Comedy” The story flowed In the Washington Post; Notables ranging from Stephen Colbert He left Daily show Host Noah all said Wood should be a strong contender to lead the program permanently. According to numbers provided by Comedy Central in April, Wood had the second-best rating for the show’s first 11 guests, second only to Al Franken ahead of Minhaj.

Comedian Roy Wood Jr. at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, D.C., April 29, 2023.

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Comedian Roy Wood Jr. at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, D.C., April 29, 2023.

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Still, diverse Breaking news in August Minhaj, who hosted the program the week of February 27, was the leading candidate for the job, according to several unnamed sources. There have also been rumors of other comics hosting the show, such as Chelsea Handler and Sarah Silverman.

but diverse I mentioned last month That Comedy Central is “back to square one” in its search for a permanent host next The New Yorker Posted a story Revealing that Minhaj fabricated and exaggerated autobiographical stories in his own shows, including Islamophobic incidents.

Wood says diverse Minhaj’s story — which Comedy Central has not publicly confirmed — has him thinking more about his future on the show. He still believes Minhaj is a strong candidate for the job, though The New Yorker story.

“I think Hassan ticks a lot of the boxes that the network wants and people want,” Wood adds. “Hassan is young, cosmopolitan, and politically astute.”

Daily showThe process of finding a permanent host was likely prolonged by the Writers Guild of America strike, which led to the show halting production of new episodes in May just as reporter Dulce Sloan began her stint as guest host. The show announced that it will return for new episodes on October 16 with a new lineup of guest hosts, with plans to install a permanent host in early 2024.

Wood, 44, joined Daily show As a reporter in 2015; One of the first artists Noah hired upon his arrival to succeed Jon Stewart as host. Raised in Birmingham, Alabama, he starred in three comedy specials on Comedy Central, and also appeared in television shows and films such as Admit it, Fletch And Murders only in the building.

He stresses that he does not hold a grudge against Comedy Central, whom he credits with working with him on several programs other than-Daily show projects, including specials, two podcasts, a filmed pilot for a television series that never aired, and three scripts they purchased but were never produced.

But late-night television has seen a recent exodus of non-white stars — from Desus, Miro and Ziwi to Trevor Noah himself. Wood still worries that as the genre shrinks, people of color are stuck in a “last hired, first fired” situation.

“I don’t think diversity is the top priority [anymore]“Wood says.