Sarah Silverman, Leslie Jones, Hasan Minhaj to Guest Host ‘Daily Show’ After Trevor Noah Leaves

The Daily Show will enter the post-Trevor Noah era with an array of guest hosts — including Sarah Silverman, Leslie Jones, former contributor Hasan Minhaj, and even Al Franken — who will help steward the show through much of next year. 

Noah’s seven-year tenure at the head of the news comedy program will end on Thursday, Dec. 8, after which The Daily Show will take a few weeks off to retool. It’s set to return Jan. 17 with Jones taking a seat behind the desk first (according to Vulture). Though Comedy Central did share a big list of names, it’s unclear exactly when each person will serve as host, or how long each guest host stint will last. 

Along with Jones, Silverman, and Minhaj, The Daily Show’s revolving door of guest hosts will include Chelsea Handler, Wanda Sykes, D.L. Hughley, John Leguizamo, Kal Penn, and Marlon Wayans. Some of The Daily Show’s current correspondents and contributors are also expected to take on hosting duties.

One of the most intriguing guest host choices is Franken, the former Saturday Night Live writer and performer, who became Minnesota’s Senator in 2008. Franken was forced to resign from the Senate in 2018 following several accusations of misconduct, including groping, unwanted touching, and kissing. The Daily Show guest host gig is probably Franken’s biggest since resigning, though he hasn’t exactly been hiding from the public: He has been touring a one-man show and has made appearances on CNN, The Tonight Show, and Jimmy Kimmel Live over the past couple of years.

As for a permanent successor to Noah on The Daily Show, it’s not exactly surprising Comedy Central doesn’t have anyone immediately lined up considering everyone, from network executives to show producers, was caught off guard by his departure announcement. In contrast, Noah was announced as Jon Stewart’s successor not long after the latter announced his departure from the show in 2014. 

As it stands, The Daily Show will likely announce a new host sometime next year with the aim of them starting by September 2023. “We’re going to use the back half of the broadcast year — call it from now until June — to really experiment and try different things,” Comedy Central exec Chris McCarthy told Vulture. “And then our goal would be to relaunch in the fall… We absolutely don’t feel a need to rush into a decision.”