On Thursday, host Trevor Noah announced that he was leaving the Daily Show after seven years.
“One of the overriding feelings I found myself experiencing … was a feeling of gratitude,” he said.
“There are so many people who make this thing come together, and I want to say thank you to the audience for an amazing seven years,” he continued. “It’s been wild. I remember when we first started, so many people didn’t believe in us. It was a crazy bet to make. I still think it was a crazy choice… What a journey it’s been.”
He then went on to list some of the significant events that occurred over the last few years.
“It’s something that I never expected, and I found myself thinking throughout the time, everything we’ve gone through — the Trump presidency, the pandemic, just the journey, the more pandemic,” said Noah. “And I realized that after these seven years, my time is up. But in the most beautiful way, honestly.”
He added, “I’ve loved hosting the show. It’s been one of my greatest challenges. It’s been one of my greatest joys. I’ve loved trying to figure out how to make people laugh even when the stories are particularly s—– on the worst days. We’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together. But after seven years, I feel like it’s time.”
“I’m really grateful to a network who believed in this random comedian nobody knew on this side of the world,” he concluded. “I never dreamed that I would be here. I sort of felt like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I came in for a tour of what the previous show was, and then the next thing I knew, I was handed the keys. I couldn’t have done it without [the audience], and I wouldn’t have wanted to do it without you.”
