TV

Trevor Noah to replace Jon Stewart on 'Daily Show'

Ann Oldenburg
USA TODAY
Trevor Noah

It's a big day for Trevor Noah.

He's the guy who'll replace Jon Stewart as host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, according to The New York Times. Stewart announced on Feb. 10 that he's exiting the show after 16 years.

Noah confirmed the news in a tweet.

And so did Comedy Central:

Noah, 31, has appeared three times on the show. The first time was on Dec. 4.

Here's how that went:

Noah, who grew up in Soweto, South Africa, was reported by Deadline and Variety to be a front-runner for the job.

Vanity Fair calls him a comedy trailblazer: He was the first South African comic to appear on Jay Leno's Tonight Show and The Late Late Show with David Letterman.

"I'm thrilled for the show and for Trevor," Stewart said in a statement to the Times. "He's a tremendous comic and talent that we've loved working with." Stewart added that he "may rejoin as a correspondent just to be a part of it!!!"

Noah's routines frequently tackle race issues. His one-man show, The Racist, drew from his childhood, growing up with a South African mom and a Swiss dad.

As for why and how Noah landed the big job? Comedy Central president Michele Ganeless tells The Times, "We talked to women. We talked to men. We found in Trevor the best person for the job."