It was February of 2015 when the world of late-night television was greeted with a shocking announcement; Jon Stewart would be stepping down as host of "The Daily Show" in the coming months. Stewart had been head of "The Daily Show" since 1999 and fans of the show, myself included, certainly couldn't imagine late night without Jon Stewart; suffice it to say, people were shocked. It was also stated that "The Daily Show" would continue it's run with a new host after Stewart left, although it truly didn't seem like anybody would be able to fill the enormous void that would be left after Stewart's departure.
Just over a month after Stewart announced his forthcoming retirement, Comedy Central revealed who they had selected to continue "The Daily Show" in Stewart's absence; South African comedian Trevor Noah. This news came as quite a shock to a lot of people who had all assumed they would bump one of the correspondents up to host, or at least hire a more recognizable figure, (Amy Poehler and Aisha Tyler were among those considered). Noah had made a fairly good name for himself as a standup comedian and had even appeared as a guest contributor on "The Daily Show" a few times starting in December of 2014, but many people, myself included once again, still doubted his ability to handle The Daily Show.
Monday, September 28 - Kevin Hart
Fast forward to Monday, the 28th of September, when Trevor Noah made his debut as new host of "The Daily Show." Noah started out as many expected him to; cautiously. His opening monologue focused on expressing thanks to Jon Stewart and Comedy Central for the opportunity, cracking a few jokes on why exactly he was chosen, and finally in promising the audience to "continue the war on bull***t," that Jon had waged so valiantly. Once all formalities and pleasantries had been taken care of, Noah dove right into the show, covering topics from the Pope's visit to the U.S., House Speaker Boehner's resignation, and finding water on Mars. Noah had comedian and actor Kevin Hart on as his first guest to discuss their careers and current projects, all while maintaining great composure and a truly charming personality. After only the first day it was a bit early to draw conclusions, but I felt that Noah was--although somewhat different from Stewart comedically--a fairly good fit as host, and looked forward to seeing what the next few days brought.
Tuesday, September 29 - Whitney Wolfe
Noah returned to the airwaves the following night, this time discussing some more hot topics like ISIS and Obama meeting Putin at a UN summit. This second time around was a bit shaky, Noah was clearly still trying to find his footing as a late-night host; he exceeded at jokes and monologues, but still seemed a bit off during his interview and exchanges with his correspondents. It just seemed as though Noah was trying to play his new role a bit too cautiously, and wasn't confident enough to take risks and make bold statements like Stewart was. Despite a few issues, issues that were to be expected, I still had faith in the new host, and anxiously awaited the coming episodes.
Wednesday, September 30 - Governor Chris Christie
Wednesday came, and this is where I feel Noah finally hit his stride. Noah's confidence and stage presence were through the roof that night; he was on point in almost every aspect, and his comedic timing was simply impeccable. From bantering with correspondent Al Madrigal to interviewing presidential hopeful Chris Christie, Noah seemed that he had finally found his footing, and did so with exceptional comfort and charisma. I was very impressed with how quickly Noah was able to adjust himself to being an entertaining comedian as well as an effective host and interviewer; I eagerly anticipated his return the next day.
Thursday, October 1 - Ryan Adams
Noah opened the show on Thursday and touched on the tragic shooting that occurred in Oregon earlier that day. Noah handled the issue with the utmost grace and composure, explaining that he knew he could only extend his deepest condolences to those hurt by the tragedy and attempt to make people laugh and recover in its wake. I felt this to be an amazing show of his character and a reflection of something that made Jon Stewart such a great host; the ability of a comedy show host to react to tragedy in a serious manner while still allowing the show to go on, and to try to bring some normalcy and levity back to a shocked country. Noah went on to discuss Donald Trump's candidacy while comparing him to an African dictator (which left me in tears), highlighted the annual obsession with pumpkin spice everything, and once again proved his ability as the new host. A fine way to round off his first week.
In short, I feel that Trevor Noah is an absolutely wonderful fit as host of "The Daily Show." Despite a few stumbles in the first couple of days, Noah has shown that he is a more-than-competent host, able to adjust whenever necessary, and a fine addition to the world of late-night television. I wish nothing but the best of luck to Trevor and the rest of the crew, and cannot wait to see what is in store for us in the coming weeks.
Here it is, your moment of zen.
