The Daily Show must go on, even though its leader Trevor Noah surprised everybody by saying he would exit stage left on December 8. Rumors have been swirling about who will be tapped as the next host–and whether that host will be chosen from the current crop of correspondents–since Noah’s initial announcement. Now it seems that the rumor mill will keep churning, as Comedy Central has put off picking a permanent replacement by tapping several temporary guest hosts.
When the series returns from hiatus on January 17, 2023, it will feature a diverse collection of celebrity hosts at the helm, per The Hollywood Reporter. The list so far includes Chelsea Handler, D.L. Hughley, Leslie Jones, John Leguizamo, Kal Penn, Sarah Silverman, Wanda Sykes and Marlon Wayans. Hasan Minhaj, a Daily Show alum who went on to host his own political comedy show on Netflix, is also among the crop of guest hosts. So is Al Franken, the comedian and former Saturday Night Live writer who resigned from the Senate in 2018 after sexual misconduct allegations.
As THR notes, many of these performers, including Minhaj, Penn, Handler, and Silverman, have experience hosting similar programs. According to the outlet, “They are also said to have varying levels of interest—from a whole lot to very little at all—in hosting The Daily Show as a full-time gig.”
The network appears to be keeping its options open for The Daily Show’s future, as it has also been suggested the next iteration could have multiple hosts. For now, top brass are focused on this immediate transition. “As we enter Trevor’s final week, we want to thank him for his many contributions,” Paramount Media Networks CEO Chris McCarthy said in a statement (per THR). “Trevor redefined the show, as did Jon Stewart before him, and as we look to the future, we are excited to reimagine it yet again with the help of this incredible list of talent and correspondents along with the immensely talented Daily Show team.”