Trevor Noah talks new ‘Daily Show,’ expectations replacing Jon Stewart
It will not be too long now before Trevor Noah ultimately steps into the shoes of Jon Stewart as the upcoming host of “The Daily Show.” Is he ready to take hold of that gig and make it his own or will he be trying to keep things along the same lines as Jon Stewart? He appeared at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour today to discuss the new job, and ultimately admitted that the biggest pressure that he feels is from Jon himself more so than anyone else:
“The biggest pressure for me is living up to the expectations that Jon has of me. Jon believes in me. There’s an immense pressure to keep the flagship going … I understand the comparisons [that people will make]. I understand people will initially go, ‘This guy’s not Jon Stewart.’ And I’m glad I’m not. That would be a disservice to him.”
Noah said that there would be a new set for when he hosts the show, and while some of the topical issues will remain the same, he would bring his own perspective. That makes sense, given his own heritage and status as more of an international comic than someone firmly rooted just in the United States. It’s possible that he could address different issues than what Stewart did when his show premieres on September 28 and as much as we liked what Jon did with the show, we want to see Noah bring something new to the table.
During the discussion Noah did acknowledge the history of comments that he has made on social media and some of that backlash, saying that he knew that there would be some comments that would be looked at and scrutinized the moment that he took the job. He does not appear to be altogether fazed by that (which is good since he’ll need a thick skin for this position), and is ready to press on. He also performed a set this week, which was met with positive reviews.
We’ll have more on the new “Daily Show” soon enough. For now, head over here to read more on the old version of the show, and sign up to get some other TV news on all we cover, sent right over to you, via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: Comedy Central.)