News that Jon Stewart was returning to The Daily Show was such a closely guarded secret that most show staffers didn’t even know about it before it was announced publicly. But it was no surprise to Trevor Noah.
As Noah reveals in a clip posted to his YouTube channel, he was one of the privileged few entrusted with Stewart’s secret.
In a video from a standup show Noah did back in January, the former Daily Show host offered his take on Stewart’s return to the show in a once-a-week capacity—including how much he knew about the hosting shakeup ahead of time.
“That’s the greatest thing ever, are you kidding me?” he told a crowd in Austin, Texas, during the Q&A segment of his show. “You know that moment where you don’t know that a [Marvel] hero is going to jump into another movie? That’s what it sort of feels like.”
As for Stewart hosting once a week, it makes perfect sense to Noah.
“Jon and I always spoke about this,” Noah shared. “The hardest thing about doing The Daily Show is the fact that it’s daily… We’d be like, ‘Man if only there was a way you could just do, like, a day of the show.”
That dream became reality for Stewart earlier this year, when it was announced that he would return to The Daily Show in February to host Monday nights through the 2024 presidential election.
“I literally messaged him,” Noah says of hearing the news. “And I was like, ‘You son of a b****. You figured it out!’”
But Noah learned about Stewart’s plans before the general public did—and, as he recalls in the video above, it was a hard secret to keep.
“There’s nothing worse than having a secret that’s cool, but you can’t say anything,” said Noah.
The comedian also took the opportunity to reflect on his early days at The Daily Show, and his relationship with Stewart—who eased Noah into the show as a correspondent, then mentored him until the then-host announced his retirement. Noah, of course, would go on to replace Stewart as permanent host of the show.
“I felt like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” Noah says. “I just came for a tour. I just wanted some of the Wonka bars. And then the next thing, I’m managing the Oompa-Loompas.”
The Daily Show has seen a sizable ratings bump on Monday nights since Stewart’s return, as well as a halo effect of increased viewership throughout the rest of the week, when a rotating team of correspondents take over the desk.
