Updated on 10/6/2023 at 6:45 a.m. PT: Comedian and host Roy Wood Jr. is speaking out following the surprising news of his departure from The Daily Show.
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In a statement posted late Thursday evening to X/Twitter, Wood Jr. captioned: ‘“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.”
The post continued:
After eight amazing years at The Daily Show where I’ve been able to pursue my comedic and political curiosities with some of the best writers, producers and crew and correspondents anyone could hope for, I’ve made the decision to move on.
I’m grateful to Trevor Noah, Paramount and especially Comedy Central for giving me the runway to also produce three one-hour-standup specials, for letting me host two award-winning podcasts, letting me write and shoot my own comedy pilot, write a film and much, much more. I look forward to finding other ways to collaborate with them down the road.
“Until then, I am excited to nurture new ideas and see what the future holds for me in the shifting sands of late-night television, scripted comedy, and whatever else the comedy gods may have in store for me in 2024 and beyond,” it concluded.
See original story below.
Contrary to popular belief, Comedy Central’s popular late-night series The Daily Show is still without a permanent new host, and one name that may no longer be up for consideration is longtime correspondent Roy Wood Jr.
The shocking news was made public on Thursday in a new interview with NPR, where the comedian revealed that after an eight-year run, he would not be returning to his correspondent duties when the show comes back with new episodes later this month.
“I can’t come up with Plan B is while still working with Plan A,” Wood said, explaining that he’d already informed Comedy Central that he wouldn’t be coming back, but had yet to tell the folks at The Daily Show. “The job of correspondent...it’s not really one where you can juggle multiple things. [And] I think eight years is a good run.”
However, he isn’t completely ruling out a chance at actually serving as the show’s host, telling the outlet that while he doesn’t know if his name is even being considered, he’d still give the gig some serious thought.
“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?’”
In a statement about his departure, Comedy Central said:
“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.”
And what is he doing next, you might ask? Well, that’s one of the things Wood Jr. is going to have time to figure out now. But what needs to be stated here is that the show and Comedy Central are missing out on a gem of a person, comedian and multi-talented star. Wood Jr. has proven over and over again how pertinent he is to the show and how good he is with a variety of audiences (looking at you White House Correspondent’s Dinner). This is a miss on the network’s part for sure, but he’ll undoubtedly land on his feet in no time.
In the meantime though, you can catch him next in a plethora of cities for his Happy to Be Here comedy tour. Tickets are on sale now.
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