WASHINGTON — He’s got insanely big shoes to fill.
But all eyes will be watching Trevor Noah as he takes over “The Daily Show” Monday night, replacing host Jon Stewart after a 16-year run so phenomenal that his desk was donated to the Newseum.
Noah’s debut will not only air on the show’s home channel Comedy Central, it will be simulcast across multiple Viacom networks, from MTV to VH1.
Variety reports advertising for Noah’s first show has been sold out for weeks, saying sponsors are “attracted to the idea of a fresh face at the front of a program that has an established history.”
Monday’s debut guest will be comedian Kevin Hart, who recently starred in the Will Ferrell comedy “Get Hard” (2015) and served as Roast Master for the “Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber.”
Tuesday’s guest will be Whitney Wolfe, founder of the new dating app Bumble.
Wednesday’s guest is Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey.
And Thursday’s guest is Ryan Adams, who recently covered Taylor Swift’s entire “1989” album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EagQVJuM-K0
No word on whether previous host Jon Stewart will make an appearance, although anything can happen, as Stewart recently made a cameo on Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” debut on CBS.
Behind the scenes, director Chuck O’Neil will return with a 2015 Emmy in his pocket. Executive producers include Noah, Steve Bodow, Jen Flanz, Tim Greenberg, Jill Katz and Adam Lowitt.
One constant force will be the string of correspondents affectionately known as “The Best F*&#ing News Team Ever.” Expect familiar faces with Aasif Mandvi, Al Madrigal, Hasan Minhaj, Jessica Williams, John Hodgman, Jordan Klepper, Kristen Schaal and Lewis Black.
The show will also feature three new correspondents in Ronny Chieng, Desi Lydic and Roy Wood Jr.
Of course, the freshest face will be Noah himself, who is rather new to American television.
He made his U.S. television debut back in 2012 on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and appeared on “The Late Show with David Letterman” in 2013, becoming the first South African comedian to appear on either show. He has also performed stand-up gigs around the world, including sold-out crowds at the Hammersmith Apollo in London and the Sydney Opera House in Australia.
His pre-“Daily Show” rollout was less than smooth, thanks to a Twitter controversy from racy jokes that drew scorn from Roseanne Barr, who tweeted back: “U should cease sexist & anti semitic ‘humor’ about jewish women & Israel.” Stewart quickly came to Noah’s defense, along with Comedy Central who responded, “To judge him or his comedy based on a handful of jokes is unfair.”
Since the controversy, Noah has pounded the pavement to get the word out about his debut.
He appeared on Jerry Seinfeld’s web series “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” and of course, Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.”
Come Monday night, the hype and promotion ends, as the work begins.
Can “The Daily Show” make Noah a star?
Judging by the show’s track record, don’t count him out.
See below for a list of all the famous “Daily Show” alumni.
