Comedy Central Renews Trevor Noah as 'Daily Show' Host Through 2020

By Joe Flint 

"Daily Show" host Trevor Noah has job security.

Comedy Central has renewed Mr. Noah's deal through 2020 to host the half-hour late-night satirical program that takes on politics and culture, the Viacom Inc.-owned network announced on Thursday.

Faced with the unenviable task of succeeding the beloved Jon Stewart, Mr. Noah got through a rocky start two years ago with critics and viewers, and his audience has grown steadily as of late.

"There was a lot of skepticism and doubt about whether he was equipped to replace Jon Stewart," said Comedy Central President Kent Alterman. "There was a lot of prejudging of him."

In the current television season, "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" is averaging 1.5 million viewers, up 14% from the previous year, according to Nielsen. Among adults 18-49, he is third behind NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" and CBS's "Late Show with Stephen Colbert."

Viacom Chief Executive Bob Bakish touted Mr. Noah's ratings improvement and reach with millennials at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference on Wednesday.

"Jon Stewart was on the network for 18 years. Jon Stewart did not become Jon Stewart in one year. Trevor is on a very good path," Mr. Bakish said.

Mr. Noah is the second late-night host to get a big vote of confidence from his bosses lately. Earlier this week, HBO renewed John Oliver's "Last Week Tonight" for three more seasons.

Besides continuing to host "The Daily Show," Mr. Noah's new deal also calls for him to produce and host year-end specials.

In a statement, Mr. Noah cracked, "It's really exciting to renew this contract for either five more years or until Kim Jong Un annihilates us all -- whichever comes first."

Write to Joe Flint at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 14, 2017 13:14 ET (17:14 GMT)

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