Most of Noah’s farewell adopted the identical tone — nostalgic, however cheeky. Except for a short interview with comic Neal Brennan, the episode was completely dedicated to trying again on Noah’s seven years on the helm and poking enjoyable at his obscure plans for the long run. At one level, Noah, who usually references his South African upbringing, joked that there have been “just some hours earlier than I fly again to Africa.”
“Rafiki’s holding up the brand new child,” he continued. “We’ve all gotta be there. It’s an entire factor.”
Noah first introduced his imminent departure from “The Each day Present” in September, explaining on air that he wished to spend extra time on different points of life, whether or not household and mates or dwell comedy exhibits and touring. After seven years, he mentioned, “my time is up. However in essentially the most lovely manner.” (Till the subsequent everlasting host is introduced, the present shall be led by a collection of visitors together with Al Franken, Chelsea Handler, D.L. Hughley, Leslie Jones, John Leguizamo, Hasan Minhaj, Kal Penn, Sarah Silverman, Wanda Sykes and Marlon Wayans.)
“The Each day Present” reworked right into a cultural establishment beneath Jon Stewart, the late-night program’s second host, who labored the gig for 16 years. Noah, a South African comic for essentially the most half unknown to American audiences again in 2015, was an unlikely successor to Stewart, however one chosen by Comedy Central executives in an try to draw millennial viewers to the community.
In the long run, Noah, now 38, was in a position to do greater than converse authentically to a youthful demographic. As The Washington Put up’s Elahe Izadi noticed this week in a retrospective on his a number of years as host, “Noah may deliver one thing Stewart and his once-rumored attainable replacements couldn’t: a comedic view that may very well be given solely by an outsider, who supplied it whereas part of the within.”
On Thursday, the “Each day Present” correspondents devoted their segments to bidding Noah farewell.
Inventory reporter Michael Kosta famous, “As a lot as I really like numbers, there’s a distinct n-word I really like much more: Nostalgia.” Weatherperson Desi Lydic ran a relatively self-centered exit interview with Noah: “What is going to you miss most about me?” she requested. Web traits skilled Ronnie Chieng joked that he didn’t want Noah anymore — “I’m in a number of tentpole franchises because of this present,” he boasted — whereas site visitors reporter Roy Wooden Jr. begged Noah to present the shtick up: “Simply admit it. You ain’t African.”
Lottery announcer Dulcé Sloan went immediately for the query on everybody’s thoughts: What’s subsequent for Noah? She struggled to know that, in accordance with the host, he doesn’t actually have something particular deliberate. “So that you’re simply leaving a job to do nothing? Wow, you actually are half White,” Sloan remarked.
Shock visitor Jordan Klepper, a former correspondent who has intermittently returned to the present, had his personal idea: Maybe Noah would run a sweet retailer. Klepper launched this concept throughout a video phase during which he interviewed New Yorkers about how Noah’s departure made them really feel. A couple of have been passionate of their ideas. One man believed Jimmy Fallon to be a “Each day Present” correspondent.
The New Yorkers may very well be seen as a becoming pattern of the American inhabitants, various in opinions and views. Noah confessed towards the top of the episode that he nonetheless doesn’t a lot perceive this nation, and turns into more and more conscious of the very fact “the extra I study, funnily sufficient.”
So possibly Noah didn’t swoop in and repair America, in any case. However he did handle to relay a number of beneficial classes that he realized through the years and tried to infuse into his strategy to the present.
The primary lesson, he mentioned, was that “points are actual, however politics are simply an invented technique to resolve these points … It’s not a binary. There will not be simply two methods to resolve any drawback.”
The second was to “always remember how a lot context issues.” When Noah first began internet hosting, he mentioned, folks hated him for superficial causes comparable to his hair and accent. Seven years later, “these folks nonetheless hate me — however for the best causes now. As a result of they know me. They perceive me.”
Noah’s haters obtained a number of mentions all through the night time — to “the individuals who hate-watched, we nonetheless acquired the rankings,” he quipped — however positivity reigned supreme. He thanked the viewers quite a few instances, and particularly shouted-out Black ladies for shaping how he got here to view the world.
That shout-out fell in step with Noah’s closing lesson from internet hosting the present: Gratitude.
“It’s taught me to be thankful for every part that I’ve, that I don’t even notice I’ve,” he mentioned. “Grateful to the great individuals who helped me make each single episode.”