For The Daily Show: New Host, New Chapter

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MC1 Chad J. McNeeley

TV show host Jon Stewart (left) interviewing Admiral Micheal Mullen (right). Photo courtesy of Wikicommons user Chad J. McNeeley.

For 16 years, Jon Stewart was a fixture in households across the nation, combining traditional news methods with satire to slowly turn “The Daily Show” into many peoples’ most trusted news source.

However, like all good things, Stewart’s run had to come to an end. He announced his retirement in February, giving fans half a year to come to grips with his departure before his final episode aired on August 6.

The news of Stewart’s replacement was almost as surprising to fans as the initial retirement announcement. While comedians like Amy Schumer and Tina Fey were rumored to be in the running, it was Trevor Noah, a relatively new, relatively unknown member of Stewart’s “Best F#@king News Team Ever” who was given the keys to the multi-million dollar car.

Born to a mixed-race couple in apartheid South Africa, much of Noah’s content regards race. A polyglot, his repertoire of languages includes multiple African tongues such as Zulu and his mother’s native Xhosa. While Stewart gained a reputation for his bad impressions of Jewish grandmothers and politicians like Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump, Noah uses his gift for languages and background to add authentic accents to his standup routine.

While the 11:00 p.m. slot on Comedy Central will definitely still be The Daily Show like it was under Stewart and Craig Kilborn before him, Noah’s arrival will have an effect on the chosen content and how it gets covered. For instance, under Stewart, the show took aim specifically at traditional news outlets like Fox News and CNN. However, Noah says that as news evolves, so will The Daily Show.

““The Daily Show was based on an emerging 24 hour news cycle, that’s everything it was,” Noah told reporters at the Television Critics Association’s semi-annual press tour in July. “Now you look at news and it’s changed. It’s no longer predicated around 24 hour news. There are so many different choices… Now you’ve got the Gawkers, the BuzzFeeds…The biggest challenge…I’m sure is how are we going to bring all of that together looking at it from a bigger lens as opposed to just going after one source — which was historically Fox News.”

While the style and some of the content may switch over with the new host, much of The Daily Show’s backups will remain the same. All five of Stewart’s executive produces will stay on with Noah, along with the current members of “The Best F#@king News Team Ever,” Hasan Minhaj, Jessica Williams and Jordan Klepper.

Noah’s first show as host airs today, Monday, September 28 on Comedy Central.