Subscribe
Follow Us
On Monday at the Emmy's, Roy Wood Jr. made headlines with a hilarious but honest silent plea to Comedy Central to find a host for “The Daily Show”. Wood was joined on stage by now-former host Trevor Noah as well as the correspondents, writers, producers, and other notable cast members of the famed satire news show as they accepted the award for Outstanding Variety Series.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH4GXiYik4o&ab_channel=AmericaNewz
It was fitting that Wood commanded the attention at that moment. The Florida A&M Journalism School alumnus has already been a known name in the world of comedy but his star has grown since he joined The Daily Show in 2015 amid Trevor Noah's arrival at the helm of the program. Wood emerged as a fan favorite, with viewers enamored by his takes on race, politics, and the hot-button cultural moments of the time.
Last year, Wood's star continued to grow. He hosted the White House Correspondents dinner, mixing witty wisecracks about media members with a thoughtful take on the industry at large. The vision of Wood being the ultimate successor to Noah started to take form and it appeared as if it was becoming a foregone conclusion.
Even Noah himself endorsed Wood for the position in comments obtained by NPR in April ahead of Wood's performance at the White House Correspondents Dinner.
“I can't think of anyone more deserving both in talent and character to host the show than Roy Wood Jr. Roy … he hasn't stepped up, I think he's stepped into a position and role that really suits him. It's one of those instances where the world has to catch up to his talents.”
Yet, it appears that Comedy Central's executives are a part of the world that has seemingly yet to catch up to his talents. At every turn, it appears that Comedy Central has either overlooked or denied Wood the opportunity to helm the chair once occupied by Jon Stewart at every turn.
Even as Wood's comedic profile arose last Spring, Comedy Central appeared to look the other direction. Even as he successfully performed at the White House Correspondents Dinner in front of a combined audience of 2,198,00 viewers on CNN and MSNBC, he was overlooked. Even as ratings proved that Wood commanded an audience that even other guest hosts in the format didn't draw in their week on the program, he was passed over. Even after Wood exited the program in October but signaled that he was still open to being the permanent host, he still was overlooked.
It is ultimately up to the discretion of the executives at both Comedy Central and Paramount Global to lead the process of naming a new host for The Daily Show and making sure that said person is right to lead one of the company's more successful media brands. But, Hasan Minhaj then became a contender for the position and it left many confused.
Minhaj is a hilarious and insightful comedian who, like Wood, paid his dues as a correspondent on Comedy Central. He ultimately departed the program in 2018 to host Patriot Act on Netflix. Patriot Act, which spanned six seasons and 40 episodes between 2018-2020, was ultimately canceled amid several controversies regarding the show's content as well as an alleged toxic work environment, as documented in the now-infamous New Yorker profile about him.
Minhaj presumably being selected as permanent host of the program, even before the allegations that he fabricated jokes about his childhood experience (which he addressed in a YouTube video in October), seemed to be an odd selection. It appeared that Minhaj came with baggage while Wood still was an emerging star waiting for the opportunity to anchor his own program.
Contrasting Hasan Minhaj & Roy Wood Jr's “The Daily Show” Guest Hosting TV Viewership
Source: ShowBuzzDaily
Hasan Minhaj (February 28th-March 2nd, 2023)
| Date | Viewership Number |
| Monday, February 27, 2023 |
344,000 viewers |
| Tuesday, February 28, 2023 |
284,000 viewers |
| Wednesday, March 1, 2023 |
378,000 viewers |
| Thursday, March 2, 2023 |
367,000 viewers |
Average Viewers: 343,250 viewers
Roy Wood Jr. (April 3rd-April 6, 2023)
| Date | Viewership Number |
| Monday, April 3, 2023 |
341,000 viewers |
| Tuesday, April 4, 2023 |
466,000 viewers |
| Wednesday, April 5, 2023 |
411,000 viewers |
| Thursday, April 6, 2023 |
480,000 viewers |
Average Viewers: 424,500 viewers
Even the ratings numbers were puzzling, as figures reported by ShowBuzzDaily showed that Wood's week guest hosting The Daily Show averaged 424,500 viewers versus Minhaj's week drawing an average of 343,250 viewers. Sure, context signifies that the numbers aren't demonstrably different and Wood did enjoy a +120,000 ratings bump with a surprise appearance by Jon Stewart on April 4th during Wood's opening monologue about Donald Trump's arraignment in New York. However, Wood's numbers remained in the high 400,000s and peaked on Wood's final day guest hosting the program on April 6th.
It appeared as if there was no methodology to initially looking to select Minhaj as permanent host of the show outside of his previous hosting experience with Patriot Act. Still, the trackable metrics showed that Wood's week of shows outperformed Minhaj and he enjoyed a significant bit of relevance due to his opportunity hosting the 2023 White House Correspondents Dinner.
Even after Comedy Central backed off of making Minhaj the permanent host of The Daily Show in September as the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA concurrent strikes drew to a close, they still had the opportunity to put Wood in the position. It still made sense last Fall and it does now. However, they clearly decided against it and Wood departed the program.
“I can't come up with Plan B is while still working with Plan A,” Wood said in comments obtained by NPR. “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 announcement that Comedy Central plans to reveal the next chapter of The Daily Show, per a report by Variety, is refreshing but also elicits anxiety. It appears that Wood might very well still be a contender for the permanent seat as host of The Daily Show, per reporting by Brian Steinburg.
“There is some hope in entertainment circles that the show will get back on track soon,” Steinburg penned in his report. “One person familiar with Comedy Central’s host search says the network remains supportive of the program, but notes that executives were keeping their talent choices ‘close to the vest,' There has been chatter in various circles that Kal Penn could remain a candidate or that producers might opt to lure Wood back with an offer to take over the show’s top role. Some think the network just might surprise all observers with an unexpected choice.”
The Daily Show deserves to be hosted by an insightful comedic mind that can make sense of a world that often leaves us scratching our heads at the daily occurrences we observe. Jon Stewart built the foundation of the show and its relevance in American culture with his direct point-of-view and biting satire in the program's zenith. Noah took the torch from Stewart and added a global voice to the program, spotlighting international issues and stories as well as giving viewers a different look at the news of the day.
The Daily Show can't go back to the rotating guest hosts and contributors again. It dilutes the power of establishing the show with one defined comedic voice in the midst of a consequential 2024 election. Comedy Central, while playing their preferred choices close to the vest, has another opportunity to allow Wood the opportunity to helm the program as it transitions into a new era of media and politics respectively.
Any other option would be disrespectful.
