Comedy Central Widens Search for ‘Daily Show’ Host Beyond Hasan Minhaj

Comedy Central goes again to sq. one in its efforts to discover a new host for “The Each day Present.”

The Paramount International cable community is contemplating a wider array of candidates to take the reins of this system from earlier emcee Trevor Noah, in accordance with individuals acquainted with the matter, after having beforehand recognized Hasan Minhaj as a number one chance. The choice seems to return within the wake of a current report in The New Yorker wherein a few of the supposedly autobiographical tales that Minhaj has utilized in his routines had been discovered to be embellished.

Comedy Central declined to remark, as did WME, the expertise company that represents Minhaj. Comedy Central has by no means confirmed that Minhaj was in line for the place, which was beforehand reported by Selection in August.

The “Each day Present” expertise search comes as most of the nation’s huge late-night TV speak reveals are gearing as much as get again to work. Like NBC’s “Tonight Present,” and “Late Night time,” CBS’ “Late Present” and ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Dwell,” Comedy Central’s “Each day Present” went darkish in Might because of the Hollywood writers strike. Now that the labor dispute has been settled, lots of TV’s wee-hours applications are coming again on the air. HBO is predicted to broadcast Invoice Maher’s “Actual Time” this Friday and John Oliver’s “Final Week Tonight” on Sunday, with Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers returning to common manufacturing on Monday.

However “Each day Present” faces distinct challenges. Since Noah’s exit in 2022, the present has not had an everyday host and has been relying for an interim interval on a sequence of visitors. Minhaj has been certainly one of a parade of “Each day Present” hopefuls, together with comedians like Chelsea Handler, Leslie Jones, Al Franken, Kal Penn, Marlon Wayans and Sarah Silverman. The present’s solid of contributors, which embody Roy Wooden, Jr., Desi Lydic and Jordan Klepper, have additionally served as substitute hosts.

Minhaj stays within the combine of individuals being thought of for the position, certainly one of these individuals says, however executives at Paramount International and Comedy Central are additionally poring over viewers analysis tied to current visitors. The community might even take a look at out a brand new group of visitor hosts in weeks to return, certainly one of these individuals says. However the hope is to have a brand new host to level to in time for the beginning of 2024 — nicely earlier than the presidential election later that 12 months.

Late-night speak reveals have been a part of the nationwide routine for many years. However current adjustments in the way in which individuals watch their favourite applications are shaking up the relationships the applications have with their viewers. In 2018, seven late night time applications — NBC’s “Tonight” and “Late Night time,” CBS’ “Late Present” and “Late Late Present,” ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Dwell,” Comedy Central’s “Each day Present” and NBC’s “Saturday Night time Dwell” — drew greater than $698 million in promoting in 2018, in accordance with Vivvix, a tracker of advert spending. By 2022, that complete got here to $412.7 million — a drop of roughly 41% over 5 years.

The longer the applications keep off the air, the better the danger that viewers will begin new habits or uncover different decisions for midnight distraction..

CBS faces an analogous late-night problem. The community hopes to exchange its “The Late Late Present,” most not too long ago hosted by James Corden, with a revival of the Comedy Central late-night recreation present “@midnight.” However the writers strike — and one nonetheless happening led by actors — has slowed these plans. CBS executives are mentioned to nonetheless be contemplating expertise and inspecting viewers analysis, in accordance with one individual acquainted with the matter. This individual thinks CBS want to launch the brand new present by the beginning of 2024. A CBS spokesman declined to touch upon plans for the brand new present.