On September 29th Trevor Noah shocked viewers by announcing his plan to leave the Comedy Central program, The Daily Show, seemingly out of the blue. Noah addressed his viewers directly. He said many things, but what mainly stood out to me (a longtime fan of his work) was this: “We’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together. But after seven years, I feel like it’s time.” In honor of this milestone, I decided to do some research on his time at The Daily Show, for you glorious Register Forum readers. 

Let’s take it way back to September 28th, 2015. Most of us were in elementary school—or just entering middle school—during a time of political and social unrest in America. The glorious reign of Barack Obama as president had ended with the presidential elections chugging full speed ahead. Real estate tycoon and reality TV star Donald Trump, a newcomer in the political field, was starting to strengthen his campaign (he’s probably harmless… right?). As the Black Lives Matter movement ignited a long-running blaze, it was time for a change. 

Jon Stewart, former host of The Daily Show for more than 15 years, recognized this upcoming wave of change. A young Trevor Noah was brought on as a senior international correspondent in 2014. One of Noah’s earliest works on the show was called “Spot the Africa.” It was a short bit that called out the deep-set biases Americans have when it comes to their perception of Africa, which seemed to become a recurring theme in Noah’s comedy. He was a foreigner calling out the hypocrisy and humor in American society. Clearly, viewers (and Jon) recognized and enjoyed this. On March 30th, 2015, it was announced that Trevor Noah would replace Jon Stewart as the host of The Daily Show. One of my favorite things about Trevor Noah’s reign on the Daily Show was a segment he did called “between the scenes.” A fan favorite, the segment started in 2016 with Noah answering some questions from fans in the audience. Little things like that solidified Noah’s connection with the audience in person and at home. Each time I’d tune into an episode or catch a clip on Youtube, Trevor Noah felt like a longtime friend. 

CRLS freshman Min-Jae Kuo expressed his gratitude for Noah, telling the Register Forum “Trevor Noah’s wit and humor kept me sane during the pandemic. I am incredibly grateful for that. Also, he taught me a lot about politics, albeit through a not-very-serious lens.” 

Who should replace Noah is a highly debated topic. CRLS English teacher Ms. Gihanah Seb-Didio states to the Register Forum, “I feel like having a woman hosting would be really good because it would give a different perspective that Trevor Noah was unable to give even though he did do a good job reporting on topics that affect women.” 

All in all, as an African American kid in America during a time when late-night hosts are almost exclusively white men, it was a delight to see someone who looked like me telling hilarious jokes and shedding light on important issues. Thank you, Trevor, and good luck.

This article also appears in our November 2022 print edition.