Trevor Noah has signed a long-term contract with Comedy Central to remain host of “The Daily Show” through 2022, according to a Thursday announcement by parent company Viacom.
In addition to serving as host, writer and executive producer, the 33-year-old South African comedian will also host annual year-end specials starting in December.
Noah had struggled initially after replacing venerable longtime host Jon Stewart in September of 2015. But the show has since gained ratings momentum as Donald Trump surged to capture the Republican nomination and eventually the presidency in a shocking upset of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
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Like much of cable news, the program has since made the unpredictable Trump much of its focus.
“I’m thrilled to be continuing this amazing journey with both fans of ‘The Daily Show’ and Comedy Central,” Noah said in a statement. “It’s really exciting to renew this contract for either five more years or until Kim Jong Un annihilates us all — whichever one comes first.”
“The Daily Show” is up 17 percent this quarter in the key 18-49 demographic compared to the same time period last year, and up 28 percent among total viewers overall.
“We realized if the goal was to replace Jon Stewart with just a younger version of Jon Stewart, that would have been a fool’s errand,” said Comedy Central president Kent Alterman. “I really looked at an opportunity to try to think about bringing someone who would turn it into their own thing.
“We were totally braced for it, and we never waned in terms of our belief in Trevor.”
The news out of Viacom comes as other news-driven comedy shows have also renewed the contracts of its hosts.
John Oliver, a “Daily Show” alumnus, extended his deal with HBO for “Last Week Tonight,” while former “Tonight Show” host Conan O’Brien also renewed his contract with TBS through 2022.
“The Daily Show” debuted in 1988 with host Craig Kilborn.