Roy Woods, Jr. Leaves The Daily Show!

Roy Woods, Jr. out of the running.

After 8 years of being a correspondent for the award winning fake news program, Roy Woods, Jr. is leaving The Daily Show. He said that the position for host was passed over numerous times and he said he can't wait any longer.

When the Writers Guild of America issued its strike this year, all late night shows went into shutdown. It was a five month wait that led to the decision being delayed.

Hasan Minhaj and former Minnesota senator Al Franken are rumored to be in the running to be permanent hosts.

When Trevor Noah announced his departure from The Daily Show last year, it rocked the program. They were using temporary hosts and neither Noah or Jon Stewart wanted to return on a temporary basis. Woods was the longest temporary host and was in the running for being the permanent host.

"I can't come up with Plan B is while still working with Plan A," says Wood, who has decided he doesn't want to be on The Daily Show as a correspondent waiting for someone else to take the top job. "The job of correspondent...it's not really one where you can juggle multiple things. [And] I think eight years is a good run."

When asked about Wood's departure and the issues surrounding his decision, a spokesperson for The Daily Show sent a brief statement: "Roy Wood Jr. is a comedic genius and beloved teammate. His insights and hilarity helped us make sense of the 2016 election, the pandemic, and countless hours of Fox News. We thank him for his time with us and can't wait to see what he does next."

Wood says he doesn't know if his name is under consideration for the top job and he has already informed Comedy Central of his intention not to return. ("What could they really say?" he adds when asked how the cable channel responded. [They're] not going to give me the job just to keep me.") But if Comedy Central offered him the permanent host job now, the comic says he would still consider it.

Wood, 44, joined The Daily Show as a correspondent in 2015; one of the first performers hired by Noah as he arrived to succeed Jon Stewart as host. Raised in Birmingham, Ala., he's starred in three standup comedy specials on Comedy Central, also appearing in TV shows and films like Confess, Fletch and Only Murders in the Building. 

Wood recently hosted the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2023.