Trevor Noah will host the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 4. The event happens on CBS and Paramount Plus. It is Noah’s fourth consecutive time hosting. 

Noah shared the news on his podcast, What Now? With Trevor Noah. He will produce the Grammys as well. 

Noah was the host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central from 2015 to 2022. The show has had guest hosts, including Sarah Silverman, Kal Penn and John Leguizamo, since Noah stepped down. 

CBS, Paramount Plus and Comedy Central are all part of Paramount Global. 

The Grammy Awards take place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. 

The Recording Academy hosts the Grammy Awards, given out to the best in music. Nominations were announced November 10. SZA leads the pack with nine nominations, followed by Phoebe Bridgers, Serban Ghena and Victoria Monet with seven, and Jack Antonoff, Jon Batiste, boygenius, Brandy Clark, Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift with six. 

The Grammys will be produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy. Ben Winston, Raj Kapoor and Jesse Collins are executive producers.

Trevor Noah will host the South African show LOL: Last One Laughing on Amazon Prime Video. The show will see 10 famous South African comedians and entertainers compete against each other, trying to keep a straight face while making their opponents laugh. The last one with a straight face gets 1 million South African rand, which goes to the winner’s domestic charity of choice.

LOL: Last One Laughing premieres in South Africa early next year. Prime said the show will launch “in South Africa and globally;“ it will be available to U.S. subscribers. 

“I’m excited to be back home to host Prime Video’s first South African Original, LOL: Last One Laughing, and to have a chance to connect with my home audience,” Noah said. “I am equally delighted for the opportunity to be working alongside my fellow homegrown comedy stars on a show that not only entertains but gives back to the South African production and charity communities.”

The show has six episodes. Rapid Blue produces with Day Zero Productions. 

From South Africa, Noah hosted The Daily Show from 2015 to 2022.

“We are delighted to be announcing Trevor’s momentous return home to South Africa as the host of Prime Video’s first South African original, LOL: Last One Laughing,” Ned Mitchell, head of Africa and Middle East originals, Prime Video, said. “Comedy, in all its forms, shines among South Africa’s most valuable treasures. Together with an A-list roster of this country’s incredible home-grown comedic talent competing for a great charitable cause, Trevor and Prime Video are demonstrating the depth of our shared ambition to invest and elevate the very best of South Africa for audiences locally and around the world.”

The LOL: Last One Laughing series is currently produced in several countries, including Germany, Australia, Mexico and Nigeria. Jay Baruchel hosts the Canadian franchise. Rebel Wilson hosts in Australia. ■

Trevor Noah will host The 65th Annual Grammy Awards, emceeing the event for the third consecutive year. CBS airs the Grammys, which celebrate the best in music. The event happens in Los Angeles Sunday, February 5. Crypto.com Arena is the venue. 

Noah recently stepped down as host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, after starting the job in 2015. He is a producer on the Grammy Awards. 

The 64th Annual Grammy Awards happened at Staples Center (now known as Crytpo.com Arena) in late January. 

Fulwell 73 Productions produces the Grammys for the Recording Academy. Ben Winston, Jesse Collins and Raj Kapoor are executive producers, with Kapoor the showrunner. ■

In his last episode Thursday night as host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Noah thanked his audience and black women, who raised him and educated him about America and the world.

Noah noted that when he started, there were days when it was hard to fill the studio.

"If you want to know about America, talk to black women," he went on to say. "Black women understand how bad it is when things go bad … Black people know that when things go bad it goes worse for them."

Noah suddenly announced he was leaving the show in September after seven seasons.

This week Comedy Central said The Daily Show will have guest hosts starting January 17. The guest hosts include Al Franken, Chelsea Handler, D. L. Hughley, Leslie Jones, John Leguizamo, Hasan Minhaj, Kal Penn, Sarah Silverman, Wanda Sykes and Marlon Wayans.

Some Daily Show correspondents and contributors will also take turns as host.

"Trevor redefined the show, as did Jon Stewart before him, and as we look to the future, we are excited to reimagine it yet again with the help of this incredible list of talent and correspondents along with the immensely talented Daily Show team," said Chris McCarthy, president/CEO Paramount Global's Paramount Media Networks unit. ■

Comedy Central said that Trevor Noah's last day hosting The Daily Show will be December 8.

Two weeks ago, Noah abruptly announced he would be leaving the franchise after a seven-year run.

Paramount's Comedy Central channel cryptically announced that the franchise will return with a "reinvented" version on January 17, but said details -- including a new host -- would be released sometime in the future.

"Trevor is an incredible talent who has left an indelible mark on The Daily Show and we're grateful for his creative partnership over the past seven years," said Chris McCarthy, president & CEO, Paramount Media Networks and MTV Entertainment Studios.

Leading up to Noah's last show, Comedy Central will be looking back at Noah's best moments, starting December 5.

With cord-cutting and the collapse of basic cable, viewership of The Daily Show has dipped to under 400,000 viewers. In Jon Stewart's final season with The Daily Show, it averaged 1.3 million viewers.

"Chris has been an amazing leader and partner who has helped me realize my dream of working not just in front of the camera, but also behind the scenes, producing content which now airs across the Paramount family," said Trevor Noah.
"I'm truly excited to see what the future holds."

The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central and is available the following morning on the Paramount Plus streaming service.

Trevor Noah is host, writer and executive producer of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, with Jen Flanz as showrunner, writer and executive producer, and Jill Katz as executive producer. Justin Melkmann is co-executive producer. Ian Berger, Max Browning, Pam DePace, Ramin Hedayati, David Kibuuka, David Paul Meyer, Zhubin Parang and Elise Terrell are supervising producers; and Jocelyn Conn, Jeff Gussow, Brittany Radocha, Shawna Shepherd and Beth Shorr are producers. Dan Amira is head writer and producer, with Lauren Sarver Means and Daniel Radosh as senior writers. The series is directed by David Paul Meyer. Ari Pearce and Matthew Parillo serve as executives in charge of production for Comedy Central. ■

Trevor Noah is leaving The Daily Show after seven years of hosting Comedy Central’s signature late-night show.

The comedian, who took over as host of the late-night show from Jon Stewart in 2015, made the announcement during the taping of Thursday night’s program, saying that his “time is up.”

“I find myself filled with gratitude for the journey,” Noah said to the audience during the taping, in a statement released prior to the show’s airing. “It’s been absolutely amazing and something that I never expected. We’ve laughed together, we've cried together, but after seven years I feel like it’s time.”

There is no timetable set for Noah's departure, according to Comedy Central.

“We are grateful to Trevor for our amazing partnership over the past seven years,” the network said in a statement. “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-plus 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.”

During Noah”s tenure, the show was nominated for several Emmy Awards, including a 2022 Emmy for Outstanding Variety Talk Series. Along with Noah, the series featured correspondents Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta, Desi Lydic, Dulcé Sloan and Roy Wood Jr., along with contributors Lewis Black and Jordan Klepper.

Noah’s announced departure from cable’s late night stage follows the July cancellation of TBS’s late-night series Full Frontal with Samantha Bee after seven seasons. ■

Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, will host The 64th Annual Grammy Awards on CBS. The event happens at the Crypto.com Arena, aka the Staples Center, in Los Angeles Jan. 31. Paramount Plus will stream the event. 

Noah hosted the Grammys earlier this year as well. 

“Trevor brought his trademark talent and versatility to last March’s Grammys, and we can’t wait for him to host the event on CBS and Paramount Plus again this year,” said George Cheeks, president and CEO, CBS and chief content officer, news & sports, Paramount Plus.

A comedian, Noah took over The Daily Show in 2015. He authored the book Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood. 

The Recording Academy gives out Grammys to the best in popular music. 

“Trevor was amazing as our host for the 63rd Grammy Awards with praise from the music community, music fans and critics,” said Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “We’re so excited to welcome Trevor back to the Grammys stage and feel fortunate to once again have him hosting what we believe will be an unforgettable evening.”

Fulwell 73 Productions produces the telecast. Ben Winston, Jesse Collins and Raj Kapoor are executive producers. Hamish Hamilton returns as director, and Kapoor is showrunner.

Comedy Central, CBS and Paramount Plus are part of ViacomCBS. ■ 

CBS airs the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards Sunday, March 14. Trevor Noah hosts the event at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which will also stream live and on demand on Paramount Plus. 

Performers include Bad Bunny, Black Pumas, Cardi B, BTS, Brandi Carlile, DaBaby, Doja Cat, Billie Eilish, Mickey Guyton, Dua Lipa, Chris Martin, John Mayer, Megan Thee Stallion, Post Malone, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift. 

Beyonce has nine nominations and Roddy Ricch, Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa have six apiece. The Weeknd has said he will not submit his work for future Grammy consideration after being snubbed this year. 

Saluting music venues that have been impacted by the pandemic, awards presenters will include staffers from Los Angeles’s Troubadour and Hotel Cafe, New York’s Apollo Theater and Nashville’s Station Inn. 

The event shifted from January 31 due to the COVID situation in Los Angeles at the time. 

The Grammys are produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy. Ben Winston is executive producer and Hamish Hamilton is director.

Noah hosts The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on Comedy Central. It will be Noah’s first time hosting the music awards. 

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah fills a daytime slot for the first time when The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Presents: Remotely Educational airs at 8:30 a.m. ET/PT March 10 on Comedy Central. 

Host Noah and correspondents Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta, Desi Lydic, Dulcé Sloan and Roy Wood Jr. take part in the half-hour special, along with contributors Jordan Klepper and Lewis Black. The special skips traditional school stuff “in favor of lessons that students will actually need in life,” said Comedy Central. 

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Presents: Remotely Educational is executive produced by Trevor Noah, Jen Flanz and Jill Katz. Ian Berger directs and is co-executive producer. 

The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central. 

Broadcasting + Cable's Kent Gibbons and Michael Malone talk about adapting Stephen King's The Stand, HBO's Bee Gees documentary, and Trevor Noah's pre-celeb days in the December edition of Busted Pilot.

Noah may not have the decision-making power of the top executives on this list, but he is perhaps its most widely recognized face. And in a presidential election year, during a pandemic and months of social-justice protests, his was an important voice in the comedy world and also the cultural landscape.

Early in the pandemic, he paved the way as the first late-night host to shift to doing shows from his home, beginning March 23. (He also has paid the salaries of about two dozen furloughed staffers.) Steering away from the laughs, he gave National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci 13 minutes of airtime on March 26. In a subsequent interview, Noah explained that he worried about experts and facts being sidelined for opinions. “American news generally is geared more toward entertainment and engagement than information, because information can be very boring,” he said. “We needed to give this expert a platform.” (The show was viewed on YouTube nearly 12million times.) 

As the only Black host of a major late-night show, he also offered a unique perspective on the George Floyd killing and subsequent protests, explaining clearly and potently why, in some early cases, the protests shifted into violence and looting. (Noah, who is from South Africa, is interracial; his background is explored in incisive detail in his acclaimed memoir, Born a Crime.)

He also pushed the limits of linear television this year, persuading Comedy Central to extend the show to 45 minutes to allow more time for interviews, even if it meant the show no longer neatly fit the traditional half-hour time slots. 

But Noah is more than just his nightly time on Comedy Central on the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning show. (The show earned six Emmy Award nominations in 2020.) He has helped the show move into the modern era, breaking free of the linear constraints with engaging social media content, including an award-winning digital series and podcasts for his global audience. This year, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah earned Webby Awards for Best in Comedy and Best Web Personality/Host.”

CBS and the Recording Academy said that Trevor Noah will be the host of the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, which will air Jan. 31 on the broadcast network and streamed live and on demand on the CBS All Access streaming service.

Noah hosts the Daily Show on Comedy Central, which like CBS is part of ViacomCBS. It will be Noah’s first time hosting the Grammys.

“Trevor’s comedy talents, engaging energy and unique perspective make him the perfect host for the Grammys,” said CBS Entertainment Group president and CEO George Cheeks. “At the same time, it’s very exciting to have one of our biggest ViacomCBS stars center stage for one of CBS’ marquee events. With Trevor hosting and The Late Late Show’s Ben Winston producing, it’s yet another example of our combined company’s power in music, entertainment and the biggest live events.”

Noah was nominated for a Grammy for Best Comedy Album, but didn’t win.

“Despite the fact that I am extremely disappointed that the Grammys have refused to have me sing or be nominated for best pop album, I am thrilled to be hosting this auspicious event,” said Noah. “I think as a one-time Grammy nominee, I am the best person to provide a shoulder to all the amazing artists who do not win on the night because I too know the pain of not winning the award! (This is a metaphorical shoulder. I’m not trying to catch Corona). See you at the 63rd Grammys!!”

The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards are being produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy. Ben Winston is the executive producer, Jesse Collins and Raj Kapoor are co-executive producers, Fatima Robinson, Josie Cliff and David Wild are producers, Patrick Menton is the talent producer and Hamish Hamilton will direct.

New Comedy Central president Kent Alterman, who earlier this month took over for departing network head Michele Ganeless, inherits a network that has struggled of late from a ratings perspective but is being looked upon by Viacom CEO Philipe Duaman to help spur the company’s financial fortunes.

Alterman recently spoke to Multichannel News programming editor R. Thomas Umstead to discuss the network’s brand, its appeal to millennials and the struggles of its late-night franchises The Daily Show With Trevor Noah and The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore.

Related:MCN Original Video: Kent Alterman discusses the evolution of "The Daily Show" under Trevor Noah

MCN: How would you define the Comedy Central brand?

Kent Alterman: I’ll start by how our audience defines it, which is that it’s the No. 1 brand in comedy across all platforms. For me, what unifies all of our talent and content that we put out there is that they bring a very distinct point of view and voice to what they do that generally shares some degree of relevance, intelligence and an ability to reflect the world back at our audience in a way that gives them a break from the world.

MCN: You’re coming in at a time when the network’s ratings have been declining for some time. How do you view the network’s ratings performances and what can be done to curtail viewership declines?

KA: The entire industry is facing the same challenges, especially in reaching our young millennial audience. Viewing behaviors are changing, so we’re pursuing dual tracks.

We’re tending to the linear ratings – our audience consumes original content, and reruns don’t mean so much anymore, so we’re looking at ways to have more and better content.

We’re also making sure that we not only make our content available on all platforms, but also that we’re creating original content that is conceived and executed with these different platforms in mind so that it feels more organic. We were the only entertainment channel to be part of Snapchat Discover and we’ve been doubling down on how much original content we’ve been creating for that platform. It also affords us a development pipeline in the sense of making more bets with emerging talent and having more ways to working with talent in general on different platforms so that we can open up the aperture of our talent development.

MCN: Having said that, what would you consider to be the network’s core shows?

KA: The good news for us is that we’ve been having this great run of shows like South Park, Tosh 2.0 and The Daily Show, which has been an institution. We don’t have Jon [Stewart] but we’re bullish on Trevor. The Daily Show under Trevor Noah is the No. 1 late night show with male millennials and second overall after [The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy] Fallon. It’s been experiencing several months of repeated growth, so all the signs are pointing the right way, and creatively Trevor is taking the ball and running with it – we’re really pleased with his evolution.

There are other shows that are incredibly popular including Broad City, Inside Amy Schumer, Drunk History, Another Period,Nikki Glazer and so on. Ultimately what we feel gratified by is that in the last several years we’ve had a great run in introducing new talent, and they are all resonating with our audience.

MCN: You mentioned The Daily Show, and obviously a lot has been written about the show’s declining ratings as well as those of The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore since Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert left the respective shows. From your perspective, how have those shows performed with their new hosts and what if anything can be done to get ratings for the shows back to prior levels?

KA:  I think you have to look at a few things. It’s not like we replaced those shows at a time when there was stability in the marketplace of our business. It coincided with a period of incredible disruption in our business, and so its almost an unfair comparison; its not apples to apples. Even if you look at our late shows now and you include all the platforms where people are watching complete episodes – whether its on our website or our app or Hulu – the numbers are really significant, so it’s a tough comparison. What we care about the most is our fans and how [the shows] are resonating with our fans, and we try to keep our eye on that ball.

MCN: What are the biggest challenges the network is facing today?

KA: We’re living in a very tumultuous, disruptive time in our industry, and so I think we’re all facing the same challenges. No one knows how it's all going to settle out, and for the most part we try to keep our eye on what’s most important, which is our talent and our content. No matter what changes come in our industry, the thing that will never change is the importance of having content that resonates for our audience.

MCN: You mentioned programming for multiple platforms. How much does the digital platform influence the content development and distribution decisions you have to make?

KA: We’re trying to be very holistic about development and not so much separate linear with multiplatform distribution, but just continue to serve all masters simultaneously. We don’t just produce our content and then chop it up and distribute it on other platforms. We’re really expanding our aperture to work with different people and develop content that is targeted to different platforms because, ultimately, we are led more than anything else by our audience, and our audience is consuming content in different ways on different platforms, so we want to be able to meet them where they are.

Comedy Central’s upfront presentation Thursday (March 31), during a busy week for those cable-network gatherings in New York, was definitely the one with the most F-bombs and references to male and female genitalia from onstage presenters.

Amy Schumer’s risqué standup act — referencing certain aspects of her own sex life that can’t be relayed here — set the tone. The Daily Show host Trevor Noah had a naughty take on the current political climate. Comedy Central Roasts host Jeff Ross did a profanity-filled parody of Donald Trump. Broad City’s Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson removed their clothes to reveal nude body suits as the event ended with the network’s on-air stars dressed in bathrobes.

Get more news about The Upfronts.

FX’s upfront gathering Wednesday began with a screening of the upcoming final episode of American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson. Attendees included series stars Courtney B. Vance and John Travolta. FX Networks CEO John Landgraf thanked the various FX and FXX stars and producers who came, saying, “We know that they can make great television … what we don’t know is if they can bowl.” That’s because the night continued with an FX Networks signature bowling party across town from the screening.

Crown Media Family Networks (the two Hallmark channels’ parent), in contrast, entertained about 200 in style Wednesday at the Rainbow Room. Helping Crown CEO Bill Abbott and ad-sales EVP Ed Georger as hosts were Hallmark original-movie stars Lori Loughlin and Candace Cameron Bure. Five for Fighting’s John Ondrasik performed.

When Discovery Communications pitched upcoming slates at a breakfast gathering Thursday, questioners zoomed in on why reality haven TLC had ordered a new Tyler Perry-produced scripted series, Too Close to Home, when those are usually the province of Discovery affiliate OWN. TLC chief Nancy Daniels called it “a big swing,” but said TLC’s audience watches scripted shows elsewhere, so why not on TLC? When a reporter asked if it was easier to control actors in a scripted show than characters in a reality series — TLC is home to such shows as Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and 19 Kids and Counting — Discovery CEO David Zaslav observed that controlling people “is a problem in life in general.” The Wire definitely agrees.

— R. Thomas Umstead

Take Off (My Cable Bill), You Hoser

Barely a month into the Canadian government’s mandated skinny bundle experiment, legislators are warning potential customers that they’re on their own if they expect the new lighter video packages to result in lower pay TV bills.

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission chairman Jean-Pierre Blais told the Globe and Mail newspaper that Canadian consumers wrongly assumed the government was going to cut cable prices when the intention was to provide more choices. If consumers want lower bills, he said, they’re just going to have to haggle with their provider, as he did.

After delivering a speech on anti-spam legislation in Toronto, Blais told the newspaper he was able to slim down his monthly pay TV bill the direct way, by threatening to switch providers.

“Was it easy? No. … You have to keep going up the chain into [the] loyalty program. It requires eff ort,” he said.

“This will take time, and I’ll repeat it again: Canadians will have to do some work,” Blais stressed. “They will have to be ready to at least threaten to change providers.”

The skinny-bundle mandate in Canada took effect on March 1 and is being watched closely to see how popular the new sub-C$25 plans might be with consumers. Canadian providers complied with a variety of packages, but critics said they weren’t well publicized and contained sparsely-viewed channels.

Reports indicate the Canadian regulator had received about 600 complaints from consumers, including those from viewers who found the channels in the skinny packages weren’t compelling

— Mike Farrell

Comedy Central Wednesday announced seveal additions to the lineup of its late night show The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.

Comedians Ronny Chieng, Desi Lydic and Roy Wood Jr. will serve as the newest correspondents to join the show under new host Noah when the series returns Sept. 28, said network officials. 

Chieng, Lydic and Wood will be joining the show's existing correspondents, including Jordan Klepper, Hasan Minhaj, Jessica Williams, Lewis Black, John Hodgman, Al Madrigal, Aasif Mandvi and Kristen Schaal, said Comedy Central.

 “I’m so excited to welcome these new members of the Daily Show Team," said Noah in a statement. "Now I get to share my stress with other new people.”

Comedy Central Wednesday released a new video spot touting incoming The Daily Show’ host Trevor Noah as he prepares for his Sept. 28 debut.

The South African-born Noah will take over for former The Daily Show host Jon Stewart, who retired earlier this month after 16 seasons.

New Daily Show host Trevor Noah says he will bring a different perspective to the late night show, but will not look to make a major overhaul.

Noah, who spoke during Comedy Central’s Television Critics Association press tour session Wednesday (July 29), said he will provide a different slant to stories than his predecessor, Jon Stewart, when he takes over for the longtime Daily Show host, but will not change the focus of the show.

The biracial 31-year old South African comedian said he draws his opinions from his life’s experiences, and perspectives will come through during the show, but he doesn’t plan to make any major changes to the look or the set.

“The way we tackle stories will be different,” Noah said.  “I still want the show to be recognized as The Daily Show.”

Kent Alterman, president of original programming for Comedy Central, told Multichannel News, “He is going to bring his point of view, but not imposing it in some way, but meshing it into the creative staff.”

Alterman said during the panel that the network “will be forever in debt” to Stewart for his stewardship of The Daily Show.

Following reports Monday morning, Comedy Central officially announced that Trevor Noah will succeed Jon Stewart as host of The Daily Show.

The little-known 31-year-old South African comedian will take over for Stewart later this year; Comedy Central will announce exactly when at a later date.

“Trevor Noah is an enormous talent. He has an insightful and unique point of view, and most importantly, is wickedly funny,” said Comedy Central president Michele Ganeless. “For the next host of The Daily Show, we set out to find a fresh voice who can speak to our audience with a keen take on the events of the day, and we found that in Trevor. He has a huge international following and is poised to explode here in America, and we are thrilled to have him join Comedy Central.”

Noah, 31, has only made three appearances on the show, having first debuted in December. Noah made his U.S. television debut in 2012 on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and also appeared on CBS's Late ShowWith David Letterman. Noah has hosted numerous television shows including his own late night talk show in South Africa, Tonight With Trevor Noah.

“It’s an honor to follow Jon Stewart. He and the team at The Daily Show have created an incredible show whose impact is felt all over the world,” Noah said. “In my brief time with the show they’ve made me feel so welcome. I’m excited to get started and work with such a fantastic group of people.”

Other potential successors to Stewart included Jason Jones and Samantha Bee, but each is bound for their own project with TBS. Jessica Williams, another young correspondent, had also pulled herself out of the running.