Jon Stewart is leaving some pretty big shoes to fill, even if not in the literal sense. While Stewart was well-known for deflecting praise and making fun of his own slight stature, it’s inarguable that he was one of the most important and powerful pundits of the last 20 years.
Many people have trouble even conceptualizing The Daily Show without Stewart at the helm, even though Stewart actually wasn’t the first host. For the first few years of its existence the show was piloted by Craig Kilborn, and focused more exclusively on mocking newscasting and journalism.
Only under Stewart’s stewardship (pun intended) did the Daily Show become the socio-political juggernaut it is today, and few people in recent memory have been able to so adeptly walk that fine line between satire and truth as skillfully as Stewart.
Stewart’s analysis of current politics was generally based on facts but dripping with sarcasm. While many of his jokes and skits were designed to make people laugh, many of them pointed out and analyzed serious social issues.
Now South African Trevor Noah, relatively young at age 31, and having spent much of his career as a stand-up comedian, will be taking the helm of perhaps the single most influential sociopolitical commentary show on TV. Already many are questioning Noah’s qualifications and abilities.
Noah is young, to be certain, but has already been well-regarded for his skills. Noah became the first black South African comedian to appear on a wide variety of night shows, including the Late Show with David Letterman and the Tonight Show.
This might seem like a rather minor distinction to make, but it’s also a good indicator of just how far Noah’s reputation and skills have taken him. Being invited to the top-tier television programs on the late night circuit is in and of itself a big deal.
Noah has already appeared on the Daily Show as a “correspondent,” and while his clips were generally short and focused, he has a natural comfort in front of the camera, and seemed to have a feel for the audience. Of course a few successful clips don’t guarantee that Noah will be able to hold the whole show on his own.
Some might also wonder if Noah will be able to connect with American audiences, after all he hails from South Africa. British-born John Oliver, however, has proven that foreign comedians can emerge as influential analysts of American politics, proving able to combine international and domestic perspectives on his “Last Week Tonight” show, which airs on HBO.
Of course, only time will tell if Trevor Noah will be able to fully replace Jon Stewart. Almost certainly the show will take on a different flair with Noah already promising to focus less on Fox News, and given his foreign status we may see international affairs rather than domestic policies taking center stage.
