Comedian Roy Wood Jr. has decided not to return to Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" after eight years as a talk show correspondent, NPR first reported .
"Roy Wood Jr. is a comedic genius and beloved teammate. His insight and humor 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 look forward to seeing what he does next,” a rep for The Daily Show said in a statement sent to HuffPost.
In an exclusive interview with NPR, Wood explained that she wanted to figure out what was next for her career after not being offered the hosting position.
“I can’t do Plan B while I’m working on Plan A,” Wood said. “Academic work... is not really something where you can juggle a lot of things. [And] I think eight years is a good time.”
HuffPost reached out to Wood's rep for additional comment but did not immediately respond.
The Daily Show is looking for a new host after comedian Trevor Noah, who hosted the show since 2015, is stepping down at the end of 2022.
Comedian Hasan Minhaj, who briefly served as a correspondent for The Daily Show from 2014 to 2018, was a leading candidate, Variety reported in August. But Comedy Central said last month that the search would "go back to normal." The ruling came shortly after a New Yorker article reported that some of Minhaj's autobiographical accounts of his comedy performance were fabricated and embellished.
Wood told NPR he's not sure if the issue will ever be considered. A rep for The Daily Show did not respond to HuffPost's request for comment on whether Wood is set to replace Noah.
However, in an interview with NPR, Wood said he holds no grudge against Comedy Central, which has collaborated with him on several projects, including a stand-up special and two podcasts, in addition to The Daily Show. : Wood spoke to Comedy Central about his decision to leave, but has yet to tell The Daily Show about it.
But Wood said he would consider the opportunity if he was offered the hosting role.
"If you ever have the opportunity to host 'The Daily Show' at any point in your life, you're going to have to stop and think about it," he told NPR. “Next question: What will The Daily Show look like in 2024?” What about late night in 2024?
While the search for a showrunner is ongoing, the show is expected to be guest-driven next season, similar to the format used earlier this year following Noah's departure, Variety reports . Leaders hope to find a new owner by early 2024.
The Daily Show is scheduled to return on October 16 after a month-long hiatus caused by the Writers Guild of America strike that halted production on the show in May .
The strike ended last week and several shows have already returned or announced their return, including John Oliver's Last Week Tonight and Saturday Night Live .
Drew Barrymore announced her return on her daytime talk show, but the three head writers decided not to return . Last month, Barrymore came under fire for deciding to continue her show during the WGA strike , and then cancel it again until the strike ended.
