Roy Wood Jr. Opens Up About Daily Show Exit

Roy Wood Jr. has left The Daily Show after eight years.

By Jamie Jirak

The Daily Show first debuted in 1996 and has starred various hosts over the years, including Jon Stewart, who took over the job in 1999 and remained the face of the show until Trevor Noah replaced him in 2015. Since last year, the show has been led by various gusts hosts including Leslie Jones, Wanda Sykes, John Leguizamo, Sarah Silverman, Kal Penn, and more. One staple of the series has been comedian and correspondent, Roy Wood Jr, who has stepped in as host multiple times since Noah's exit. Many fans thought Wood Jr. would end up with the permanent gig considering he's been with the show for eight years, but he announced he was leaving earlier this month. During a recent appearance on Sherri (via Entertainment Weekly), Wood Jr. opened up about his exit. 

"It still could happen," Wood said of returning to The Daily Show to host. "I just don't want to do work in the meantime ... I was shocked at the decision myself because No. 1, we were in a strike. Who do you know come off [a] strike and then quit the job? ... That wasn't the plan." 

"But while you got your process, I need to have my process," he continued. "So I'm going to be over here making sure all my ducks are in a row as well, in case that doesn't end up the way that I hope. And the job of correspondent ... it's not easy. It's not like hard labor but it is a mentally stressful job, so I want to make sure that I remove the stress from my space so I have space to figure out what's next for myself in case I'm not in that chair come January. So I had to leave. I'm sorry ... that's just what it is and it's nothing personal. This is the first job I ever quit where I got to clean out my office."

Earlier this month, Wood Jr. also spoke with NPR about his decision to leave and the fact that The Daily Show still hasn't secured a permanent host. 

"I can't come up with Plan B is while still working with Plan A," Wood explained. "The job of correspondent...it's not really one where you can juggle multiple things. [And] I think eight years is a good run." He added, "If you're offered the chance to host The Daily Show at any point in your life... you have to stop for a second and consider that ... The next question becomes, 'What does The Daily Show look like in 2024? And what does late night look like in 2024?'"

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The Daily Show issued the following statement about Wood Jr.'s exit: "Roy Wood Jr. is a comedic genius and beloved teammate. His insights and hilarity helped us make sense of the 2016 election, the pandemic, and countless hours of Fox News. We thank him for his time with us and can't wait to see what he does next."

Are you surprised by Wood Jr.'s The Daily Show exit? Tell us in the comments.  

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