The Daily Show With Trevor Noah clinched the prestigious Emmy Award for the best variety talk series on Monday, marking the show’s first victory since Jon Stewart’s concluding year as the host. Interestingly, 2023 also marked Trevor Noah’s final year steering the helm of the Comedy Central show.
In his acceptance speech, Noah expressed gratitude for the incredible journey, stating, “This story has been so long, so crazy, so wonderful. Thank you so much to the team and the person I always thank, the crazy genius, Jon Stewart. Thank you for calling me up and asking me to come join you on this crazy journey.”
Adding a touch of humor, Noah playfully acknowledged breaking HBO’s Last Week Tonight With John Oliver’s winning streak in the variety talk category. This year saw a rule change relocating Last Week Tonight to the scripted variety category (which it also won), paving the way for a fresh winner in the talk category for the first time since 2016.
“I told you!” exclaimed Noah. “I told you we would beat John Oliver if he wasn’t in our category. We did it! We got rid of John Oliver!”
Trevor Noah’s victory is not only a personal milestone but a historic one. He becomes the first person of color to lead a winning team for the variety talk series and its precursor category, outstanding variety, music, or comedy series, since In Living Color, created by and starring Keenen Ivory Wayans, secured the award in 1990.
Noah concluded his stint at The Daily Show in December 2022. Due to delays in the Emmys caused by writers and actors strikes, the Television Academy is only now recognizing the best in TV from the 2022-23 season. The Daily Show has yet to announce a permanent host and has been featuring guest hosts over the past year.
Reflecting on the search for a new host, Noah commented, “When they announced that we had won, I was like ah, who is going to replace me?” he said in the Emmy press room. “That’s the second thing I thought of as well. I’m still thinking about that, and I will continue to think about it as I celebrate this amazing achievement.”
The other nominees for the best variety talk series included The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Late Night With Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and The Problem With Jon Stewart.
– hollywoodreporter