Comedy Central Renews Trevor Noah as 'Daily Show' Host Through 2020
September 14 2017 - 01:29PM
Dow Jones News
By Joe Flint
"Daily Show" host Trevor Noah has job security.
Comedy Central has renewed Mr. Noah's deal through 2020 to host
the half-hour late-night satirical program that takes on politics
and culture, the Viacom Inc.-owned network announced on
Thursday.
Faced with the unenviable task of succeeding the beloved Jon
Stewart, Mr. Noah got through a rocky start two years ago with
critics and viewers, and his audience has grown steadily as of
late.
"There was a lot of skepticism and doubt about whether he was
equipped to replace Jon Stewart," said Comedy Central President
Kent Alterman. "There was a lot of prejudging of him."
In the current television season, "The Daily Show with Trevor
Noah" is averaging 1.5 million viewers, up 14% from the previous
year, according to Nielsen. Among adults 18-49, he is third behind
NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" and CBS's "Late Show
with Stephen Colbert."
Viacom Chief Executive Bob Bakish touted Mr. Noah's ratings
improvement and reach with millennials at the Goldman Sachs
Communacopia conference on Wednesday.
"Jon Stewart was on the network for 18 years. Jon Stewart did
not become Jon Stewart in one year. Trevor is on a very good path,"
Mr. Bakish said.
Mr. Noah is the second late-night host to get a big vote of
confidence from his bosses lately. Earlier this week, HBO renewed
John Oliver's "Last Week Tonight" for three more seasons.
Besides continuing to host "The Daily Show," Mr. Noah's new deal
also calls for him to produce and host year-end specials.
In a statement, Mr. Noah cracked, "It's really exciting to renew
this contract for either five more years or until Kim Jong Un
annihilates us all -- whichever comes first."
Write to Joe Flint at joe.flint@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 14, 2017 13:14 ET (17:14 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Via Renewables (NASDAQ:VIA)
Historical Stock Chart
From Feb 2024 to Mar 2024
Via Renewables (NASDAQ:VIA)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2023 to Mar 2024