Source: Alexi Rosenfeld / Getty
Comedian Roy Wood Jr. announced his departure from The Daily Show after serving as a writer and correspondent.
On Thursday, Roy Wood Jr. announced that he was leaving the Comedy Central late-night program in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. In the post, he wrote: “After eight amazing years on The Daily Show, where l’ve been able to pursue my comedic and political curiosities with some of the best writers, producers, crew, and correspondents anyone could hope for, I’ve made the decision to move on.”
“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
In an interview with NPR, Roy Wood Jr. detailed his reasoning behind his decision, spurred by the fact that the show has not offered the open host’s seat to him. “I can’t come up with Plan B while still working with Plan A,” he said about deciding not to continue. “The job of correspondent…it’s not really one where you can juggle multiple things. [And] I think eight years is a good run.”
The Daily Show released a statement about Wood’s departure, saying: “Roy Wood Jr. is a comedic genius and beloved teammate. His insights and hilarity 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 would speak about that statement. “What could they really say?”, he replied when asked about how he felt about Comedy Central’s words.” [They’re] not going to give me the job just to keep me.” He did go on to say that if officially offered the role, he would consider 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,” he said. “The next question becomes, ‘What does ‘The Daily Show’ look like in 2024? And what does late night look like in 2024?’”
The news leaves fans of The Daily Show wondering who will eventually fill the seat vacated by Trevor Noah last year as the show returns on October 16 after the hiatus caused by the Writers Guild of America strike. That strike, which began in May, ended last week. Comedian Hasan Minhaj was seen as a leading candidate to take over, but the network stated it was going back to “square one” after reports surfaced of Minhaj allegedly fabricating autobiographical elements of his routines.
