Producers of “The Daily Show” apparently didn’t have to cast such a wide net to find Trevor Noah’s replacement. Former correspondent Hasan Minhaj is reportedly being strongly considered for the Comedy Central hosting gig.
Insiders revealed that the award-winning comedian and political commentator is on the shortlist to take over the spot Noah exited in December, upon deciding his seventh year hosting “The Daily Show” would be his last.
Since Noah left, comedy greats Al Franken, Chelsea Handler, D.L. Hughley, Leslie Jones, John Leguizamo, Kal Penn, Wanda Sykes, Sarah Silverman and Marlon Wayans have commandeered “The Daily Show” on a week-to-week basis, alongside current correspondents such as Roy Wood Jr., Ronny Chieng, Desi Lydic and Jordan Klepper. However, a permanent host has yet to be named.
According to Variety, three people familiar with the matter said Minhaj has been eyed as a leading candidate.
The 37-year-old served as a “Daily Show” cast member between 2014 and 2018. He stepped in as a guest host before the Writers Guild strike shut down late-night TV productions in early May — but considered the possibilities of what permanently taking over would look like.
“I’m definitely open to the conversation,” Minhaj shared with Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast in May. “It’s also a family conversation now. It’s a very different conversation then when I first got hired at the show when I was 29. My life is in a very different place. … It changes a lot of things.”
Minhaj previously said that he would have wanted the hosting gig in 2015, after Jon Stewart but before Noah took over the reins.
“As corny as it sounds, destiny has a way of working itself out,” he told The Daily Beast, adding, “things lined up the way they were supposed to line up.”
In 2018, Minhaj jumped ship from “The Daily Show” to host his weekly Netflix comedy show, “Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj,” which won an Emmy, two Peabody and two Webby Awards.
Minhaj, who is of Indian descent, also hosted two Netflix comedy specials.
