Comedy Central is pleased with the strides Trevor Noah’sDaily Show has made: the comedian has been renewed as host through 2022, Comedy Central President Kent Alterman announced Thursday. The goalposts have shifted considerably since Jon Stewartand Stephen Colbert left the network, with more players in the late-night game doing more smart work than ever. But with this renewal, Comedy Central proves it’s happy with Noah’s work so far, and that it believes in his potential going forward.
As one might have expected, Stewart proved a tough act to follow when Noah first took over The Daily Show in 2015—and that, plus Larry Wilmore exiting the network last summer after a too-brief run hosting his own late-night show, caused some critics and TV addicts to wonder how long it would take for the Comedy Central ship to right itself.
But Noah found his footing in the following months, and has continued to grow his audience after the initial post-Stewart ratings drop: Daily Show is the only daily late-night program to grow its viewership year over year in both total viewership and the key 18-49 demo, where it currently ranks in third place behind The Late Showand The Tonight Show. The show also just received its first Emmy win since Stewart left—for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series, in recognition of its “Between the Scenes” digital exclusives. (You might remember the viral “Between the Scenes” clip in which Noah discussed the death of Philando Castile, and his own experience as a black man in America.)
With a reinvigorated Daily Show and Jordan Klepper poised to take Wilmore’s old time slot, it seems Comedy Central is on its way toward a new era.
This renewal also means that Noah will cover not only the midterm elections in 2018, but also the presidential election in 2020—which will undoubtedly be a crucial and contentious time for America. Noah, like so many other comedians, found his groove as a late-night host during the 2016 election, although Donald Trump’ssurprise win threw his live special a massive curveball.
As part of his renewal deal, Noah will also produce and host annual year-end Daily Show specials, beginning this winter. As the network’s press release put it, “The Daily Show will no longer take for granted that humankind has made it to another December 31st and from here on out will celebrate in annual year-end specials.”
“I’m thrilled to be continuing this amazing journey with both fans of The Daily Show and Comedy Central,” Noah said in a statement. “It’s really exciting to renew this contract for either five more years, or until Kim Jong Un annihilates us all—whichever one comes first.”
