It’s not easy to fill the shoes of someone who’d established a gigantic, loyal following.
Ever since Jon Stewart left as host of The Daily Show and was replaced by comparative unknown Trevor Noah, the show’s ratings have taken a sharp nosedive. According to Nielsen statistics, the show has seen a 37 per cent decline in viewership.
While all is not lost — Nielsen also reports an increase in the 18-24 demographic by 20 per cent, and a rise in on-demand streaming by 44 per cent — the sentiment is that Noah just isn’t drawing people in like Stewart did. (And, being nitpicky, those increased numbers don’t really have anything to do with the host’s appeal, more to do with advertising and posting gimmicky video clips online.)
Noah himself seems to think he’s bitten off more than he can chew. Just this past week, he said to NPR’s Linda Holmes that he “had no clue how big this show was… if I had known, I would not have been so confident signing on.”
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There are also reports that there’s a “mini mutiny” going on at The Daily Show. On Tuesday night, R&B singer Chris Brown was scheduled to appear as a guest, but was then bumped off the schedule at the last minute, with Mariah Carey’s ex Nick Cannon appearing instead. Brown’s booking allegedly stirred up some controversy among Daily Show staff, according to The Daily Beast:
“While many staffers disapproved of the booking decision, Noah allegedly hoped to use the interview to bring light to domestic abuse issues. Our sources confirmed that Noah brought up such a possibility during an all-hands meeting on Monday afternoon.”
Staff members had a problem with Brown appearing on the show because of his 2009 violent assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna (which was well-documented on TMZ and other sites) and Noah’s alleged inability to address the issue head-on, as Stewart most likely would have done. The Daily Beast article says some staffers “feel Noah might not be well-equipped to conduct a tough interview.”
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Essentially, the cancellation of Brown’s guest spot indicates a volatility and lack of trust in the Daily Show environment. Perhaps in an effort to smooth over any perceived wrinkles, Comedy Central publicists emailed Salon writer Sonia Saraiya, who had previously written an analysis of Brown’s cancellation. They wrote: “Guest bookings are always subject to change. The show hopes to reschedule Chris for a future appearance.”
So it all seems up in the air. Only time will tell if Noah has the chops to keep The Daily Show humming.
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