Late-night host Trevor Noah has announced he is leaving “The Daily Show” amid a ratings slump.
The move marks the first official Hollywood knockout for the new late-night king, Fox News star Greg Gutfeld.
As Slay News previously reported, “Gutfeld!” has grown to become the number one late night show, beating all broadcast and cable competition, including “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
He also beat Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” across the board in total viewers and the younger 25-54 age demographic.
Unlike Gutfeld’s show, Noah’s has been falling in the ratings.
“I’ve loved hosting this show,” Noah said in announcing his departure.
“It’s been one of my greatest challenges.
“It’s been one of my greatest joys.
“We’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together.
“But after seven years I feel like it’s time.
“When I got back out there again I realized there’s another part of my life that I want to carry on exploring.
“I miss learning other languages.
“I miss going to other countries and putting on shows.
“I miss being everywhere and doing everything.
“I never dreamed that I would be here. I came in for a tour of what the previous show was, and then the next thing I know, I was handed the keys.
“I couldn’t have done it without you, and I wouldn’t have wanted to do it without you.
“You know, we’ll still be here for the time being.
“You’ve truly made this, you, too, have made this one of the best experiences of my life.”
However, he previously revealed that he didn’t always love doing the show.
“I will say the first two years were horrible — and it was horrible because I had taken over one of America’s most beloved institutions,” he said in 2020.
“And even though Jon Stewart had passed over the reins to me, it was essentially a year of people telling me I shouldn’t be doing the job and I was unworthy of being in that seat. And I continued to believe that.”
A representative for Comedy Central said:
“We are grateful to Trevor for our amazing partnership over the past seven years.
“With no timetable for his departure, we’re working together on next steps.
“As we look ahead, we’re excited for the next chapter in the 25+ year history of ‘The Daily Show’ as it continues to redefine culture through sharp and hilarious social commentary, helping audiences make sense of the world around them.”
It could be a coincidence Noah is leaving when his ratings are in the tank and Gutfeld is stealing everyone’s audience, but it is not probable.
According to Fox News:
Gutfeld! delivered its highest-rated quarter in program history as host Greg Gutfeld continued as the second most-watched late night host in all of broadcast and cable news. At 11 PM/ET, the program kicked off the fall season as the number one late night show in television, surpassing all broadcast and cable competition, including The Late Show with Stephen Colbert for August and September.
Gutfeld! posted double-digit percent growth since the same quarter last year in total viewers and was up with A25-54 averaging 2.1 million viewers and 339,000 with A25-54 this quarter, outpacing ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! And NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in total viewers.
Gutfeld! also topped every program on CNN and MSNBC in total viewers and the younger 25-54 demo. FNC’s late night show also bested Comedy Central’s The Daily Show across the board in total viewers and the younger 25-54 demo.
Additionally, Gutfeld! Has the highest median income in all of late night television (ABC, CBS and NBC) in the younger 25-54 demo as well as the most upscale audience in total viewers and A25-54.
According to The Daily Mail:
Viewing figures were typically around 1.5 million for each episode during Stewart’s tenure and rose as high as 2.5 million in 2013.
Nine years on, and viewing figures for the week of September 19-25 showed The Daily Show pulled in an audience of just 363,000, according to television and film ratings site ShowbuzzDaily.com – a drop partially attributed to the rising popularity of YouTube and streaming platforms versus legacy media, but also associated with the show’s increasing political bias and perceived tilt towards embracing ‘woke’ ideology.
