The Daily Show gets new host amid late-night | TV Shows

The Daily Show has a new face behind the desk this week, just as the late-night world faces one of its biggest shake-ups in years. Comedian Josh Johnson, a longtime writer and performer on the show, will take over hosting duties on July 22 at 11 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central.

It marks his first full night in the anchor seat, joining a rotating lineup of talent helping guide the franchise into its post-Trevor Noah era. From Comedy Central’s World News Headquarters in New York, the network announced, “It’s The Daily Show with… Josh Johnson.” Johnson has been with The Daily Show since 2017 and began appearing on-air in 2024.

He now joins fellow co-hosts Ronny Chieng, Jordan Klepper, Michael Kosta, and Desi Lydic, all of whom have rotated through the chair following Trevor Noah’s exit in 2022. The move comes as The Daily Show tries to chart a stable course while its sister show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, has just been axed by parent company Paramount — sending shockwaves through the industry.

Returning anchor Jon Stewart, who signed on for a weekly hosting role in 2024, addressed the uncertainty himself in a July 17 episode of his podcast. “They haven’t called me and said, ‘Don’t get too comfortable in that office, Stewart.’ But let me tell you something. I’ve been kicked out of” worse “establishments than that. We’ll land on our feet,” he said.

Stewart also took a swipe at Comedy Central’s current relevance, saying, “Without ‘The Daily Show,’ Comedy Central’s kind of like Muzak at this point. I think we’re the only sort of life that exists on a current basis, other than ‘South Park.’”

He added, “I’d like to think we bring enough value to the property, like if they’re looking at it as purely a real estate transaction, I think we bring a lot of value.”

As Josh Johnson steps into the spotlight, the future of The Daily Show — and late-night TV itself — remains as unpredictable as ever.