After seven years as host of “The Daily Show,” Trevor Noah has bid his audience farewell and is stepping into a new tomorrow.
On Dec. 8, the South African comedian and writer signed off for one last time, ending his run as host of the late-night talk show on Comedy Central.
At the beginning of the finale episode, Noah joked that it was also a "celebration" of his success.
"Because when I started the show, I had three clear goals: I was like, 'I'm gonna make sure Hillary (Clinton) gets elected. I want to make sure that I prevent a global pandemic from starting, and I want to become best friends with Kanye West.'"
After goodbyes from the show's correspondents and a chat with comedian Neal Brennan as a guest, Noah ended his final hour with a long monologue encouraging people to see beyond party lines and to not jump to conclusions without looking at all the facts.
"Try and find the context wherever you can. Ask as many questions (as you can) and it may slow you down in being able to make a decision, that may slow you down in being able to form a take, but maybe that's a good thing," he said. "Maybe we shouldn't have an opinion immediately. Maybe we should wait and see what happened. See what the context is."
He added that as the world gets "smaller" because of globalization, it will be important for people to look for positive stories.
"Please don't forget that the world is a friendlier place and the Internet and the news will make you think," he said. "Just don't forget that."
Towards the end of the episode, a collection of A-list celebrities like Hillary Clinton, Issa Rae, Jesse Williams and Nick Offerman wished Noah well in a pre-recorded segment.
"So thanks for getting us through some bad times...so many bad times," Offerman said in a clip.
"Now that I'm saying I said out loud, it didn't get bad until you showed up," Rae quipped, as others noted the pandemic and the death of Queen Elizabeth II as examples.
"Thank you for finally ending your reign of terror," Offerman concluded.
Throughout his tenure, Noah took viewers into a deep dive into the day’s top headlines, where he lampooned political and pop-culture events with his comedic take and insight.
Noah took over the show’s desk for its previous host Jon Stewart in 2015 and announced his departure on Sept. 29.
“I realized that after seven years, my time is up. But in the most beautiful way,” he said, shocking his live audience at the time.
“It’s been one of my greatest challenges. It’s been one of my greatest joys,” Noah went on to add. “We’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together... But after seven years, I feel like it’s time.”
On Twitter, fans of the host and the show were quick to express their gratitude for his contribution to the series.
“Never could imagine anyone filling Jon Stewart’s shoes after all those years, and then you came along with your amazing humor and sharp wit,” one Twitter user wrote of the comedian. “Now, I can’t imagine anyone filling your shoes. Thanks for all the laughs. Wishing you all the best in your next adventure.”
“It’s not gonna be the same anymore! You will definitely be missed,” another wrote.
“Gonna miss seeing you, entertaining, inspiring and enlightening me,” one more fan tweeted. “Good luck in all you do, and I hope to see you live one day...”
Comedy Central has not yet publicly announced a replacement for Noah.
Starting on Jan. 17, a slew of celebrity guest hosts will sit behind the "Daily Show" desk: Al Franken, Chelsea Handler, D. L. Hughley, Leslie Jones, John Leguizamo, Hasan Minhaj, Kal Penn, Sarah Silverman, Wanda Sykes and Marlon Wayan, along with the show's correspondents and contributors.
