As Trevor Noah heads for the stage door, 'The Daily Show' crew are shocked by the timing of the release - Deadline

As Trevor Noah heads for the stage door, ‘The Daily Show’ crew are shocked by the timing of the release – Deadline

“It’s been wild,” Trevor Noah told his audience after revealing his “time is up” on hosting The daily broadcast.

The news was certainly very unexpected.

Deadline understands that Noah informed his studio audience of his departure before telling many of the Comedy Central series’ staff – news that blindsided many.

The daily show Sources said it was “imperative” for Noah to share the news with his fans during Thursday’s taping as he wanted them to hear it from him first.

But the fact that Noah told a few hundred strangers, admittedly hardcore fans but probably many tourists wanting to get a ticket to a show, before he told some members of his production team was hard to accept for some.

Noah is believed to have quietly renewed his contract earlier this year, and he and his team recently celebrated seven Emmy nominations – the most since taking over from Jon Stewart in 2015.

The comedian obviously wants to get back on the road, while trying new things. Noah, an incredibly popular figure on the live stand-up circuit, performs Friday and Saturday at the Toronto Scotiabank Arena in Canada and has other shows booked in Halifax and Orlando over the weekends from The daily broadcast.

He’s also stepped up plans for his label Day Zero Productions, having recently hired Sanaz Yamin to helm it as president, with former Marvel TV executive Devon Quinn hired last year to oversee live-action and animated television.

Last year, the company said it had 50 projects in development. Current projects include a feature film adaptation of Noah’s book Born of a crime and a restart of President’s analysist, while there was talk of a mockumentary comedy series starring Noah in the works with Paramount+. His documentary series The tipping point is set to air on MSNBC and Peacock later this year.

It’s unclear how many people knew Noah was planning to make the announcement, but it was obviously a small number. Comedy Central clarified that there was no timetable for his departure. His exit rollout was clearly not as organized as that of James Corden, for example, who signed a one-year deal to stay on The late show for release in spring 2023.

RELATED: ‘The Late Late Show’: CBS looks to ‘experiment’ in late-night slot as James Corden prepares for release

The exit of Noah, coupled with the imminent departure of Corden, the cancellation of Full frontal with Samantha Bee and the seemingly acrimonious split from Rumors & Mero, points out that there are big changes afoot in the late evening.

With Jimmy Kimmel recently signed to host his ABC show for another three years, and Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers on long-term contracts at NBC, this is the biggest set of changes for the talk show circuit since. many years. Keep an eye out for Stephen Colbert, it seems, and if he decides to stay at The late show.

For daily broadcast, the question is who is next. Noah was a surprise pick for the job, meaning his successor could also be a wild card. You would at least expect the next host of either The daily show Where The late show be a woman.

There is also a deep bench of performing artists in the correspondent ranks: Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta, Desi Lydic, Dulcé Sloan and Roy Wood Jr have all been there for some time alongside gonzo journalist Jordan Klepper, who recently told Deadline he wanted another office. work at any given time.

On the production side, a new host would be the third for executive producer and showrunner Jen Flanz, who played a key role in the transition between Stewart and Noah and is expected to do the same with any new table talkers.

There is also the question of whether The daily show remains a linear first. The series is one of the few remaining regular original series on Comedy Central’s linear schedule, given its parent company’s focus on Paramount+. All of those things are yet to be determined, but you bet Paramount boss Bob Bakish is tasking Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Paramount Media Networks, with making sure he does them right.

“What a trip it’s been,” Noah said. “It’s been absolutely amazing.”