Trevor Noah To Replace Jon Stewart

It's quite possible that we will all remember where we were on Friday when the rumor first began that Trevor Noah would replace Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. Then again, that moment might be replaced in our minds by the one that came on Monday: where we were when it was confirmed by the New York Times that Noah would replace Jon Stewart as the new host of The Daily Show. Although Comedy Central's official announcement is said to be coming later on Monday, the fact that a publication as reliable and prestigious as the New York Times is telling us this is officially happening is all the confirmation we need. If you don't know who Trevor Noah is, then it's time that you learn, because he's going to be delivering us all the fake news that we used to get from Stewart.

Even better, he is a person of color, and the first person of color sitting permanently in the hosting chair since the show began in 1996. Between Noah on The Daily Show and Larry Whitmore on The Nightly Show, diversity is something that Comedy Central seems to be prioritizing in the best of ways lately. While the audience would have loved to see Jessica Williams take over The Daily Show — and while I would have loved to see a woman in general, let alone a woman of color — it's wonderful that the torch is being passed to a 31-year old South African comedian instead of another Caucasian male.

“You don’t believe it for the first few hours,” said Noah in the New York Times article, in reference to his new job. "You need a stiff drink, and then unfortunately you’re in a place where you can’t really get alcohol." Sure, Noah might have only been on The Daily Show as a contributor a handful of times, but he comes recommended by Stewart himself and you really can't get a higher nod of approval than that. After all, Stewart helped to give the world Stephen Colbert. He said in a statement: "I’m thrilled for the show and for Trevor. He’s a tremendous comic and talent that we’ve loved working with."

Noah may not be a firmly established voice, or someone that enables us to know exactly what to expect out of his term on The Daily Show, but that's what makes him such a draw. He's new, he's different, he's exciting, and he's bursting with all the mystery of the unknown. Before we assume that he'll be terrible because he's not Stewart, we should assume that will be his strength. Would you accept someone trying to be a carbon copy of Stewart while not actually being Stewart on The Daily Show? Yeah, neither would I. Neither should anyone.

Image: Rebloggy