The Daily Show has been steeped in a competitive game of musical chairs since Trevor Noah’s departure, but at least one recurring face on the program isn’t losing sleep over who will get the gig.
Comedian Lewis Black has served as a contributor to The Daily Show since the franchise first began in 1996, working with each of the show’s hosts over the years. So only it makes sense that he’d be asked to weigh in on who might best fill the seat next.
But in a recent interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he said he didn’t understand what the ongoing fuss was about.
“This is not a holy seat. This isn’t the Vatican,” Black told the paper. “The show is about the satire. It’s about the writers.”
The Daily Show is in the midst of a ratings resurgence since Jon Stewart returned to host Monday episodes in February. The show’s correspondents and contributors have shared hosting duties the rest of the week, and producers have been adding to their ranks. Just yesterday the show officially named three new correspondents, and recent months have seen Leslie Jones, Charlamagne tha God and John Leguizamo drop in as contributors.
For his part, Black let slip that his own future on the show isn’t set in stone. “It’s always a lot of fun,” he told the paper. “I have two more years on my contract and we’ll see how it goes.”
The 75 year-old Black is currently on something of a farewell standup tour, having said that he plans to retire from touring and transition to occasional one-off gigs.
