After eight years as a fan-favorite correspondent, Roy Wood Jr. is leaving The Daily Show. Despite calls for the comedian to take over the top spot after Trevor Noah stepped down late last year, Comedy Central has been in no rush to fill the position as it has worked through a series of guest hosts, including Wood. With an offer not being extended for the top gig, Wood has made the decision to step away and focus on the next steps in his career.
“I can’t come up with Plan B while still working with Plan A,” Wood told NPR while making it clear that he doesn’t want to work for The Daily Show while waiting for someone else to become the host. “The job of correspondent…it’s not really one where you can juggle multiple things. [And] I think eight years is a good run.”
Wood did make it clear that doesn’t hold a grudge against Comedy Central, and he would, of course, still be open to the hosting job if the network approached him with it.
“If you’re offered the chance to host The Daily Show at any point in your life… you have to stop for a second and consider that,” Wood said. “The next question becomes, ‘What does The Daily Show look like in 2024? And what does late night look like in 2024?’”
He elaborated further on his decision to leave in a post on Twitter/X this afternoon.
“You don’t own these jobs. You rent them. They are not yours. Ultimately, no matter how long you are there, you’re just passing through”- Doug Herzog
Thank You. pic.twitter.com/YFuomUUdIe
— Roy Wood Jr- Ex Jedi (@roywoodjr) October 5, 2023
Wood’s departure leaves The Daily Show in an interesting bind as it continues to struggle with finding a new host. For a while, former correspondent Hasan Minhaj seemed like the top contender, and even Wood agreed that Minhaj has what Comedy Central is looking for.
“I think Hasan checks a lot of boxes that the network would want and people would want,” Wood told NPR. “Hasan’s young, he’s global and he has the political I.Q.”
But Minhaj’s chances went out the window last month when a New Yorker expose revealed he embellished certain anecdotes about his life, including one where his family was mailed anthrax, which didn’t happen. Shortly after the piece hit, Variety reported that Comedy Central was going back to “square one” in the search for a new host and would look “beyond” Minhaj for a candidate.
Who that candidate might be is anybody’s guess at this point.