[imagesource: Kevin Winter / Getty Images for The Recording]

It’s been a week since Trevor Noah announced he would be leaving The Daily Show.

If you want an idea of how much of an impact he had on the American late-night TV scene, you only need to look at the extensive coverage given to the announcement in that country.

There have been attacks from some figures who say it’s tanking ratings, rather than a desire to spend more time touring and doing stand-up comedy, that has led to this point.

That is at odds with reports that he renewed his deal with Comedy Central earlier this year and his announcement caught many senior figures involved with the show unaware.

In 2017, he reportedly signed a new contract with Viacom which doubled his salary for hosting The Daily Show to $16 million per season.

Responding to questions from audience members on Tuesday night, Noah described his exit as a “happy” one. Here’s HuffPost:

The comedian likened his departure to one of “those funerals where people are dancing” rather than crying.

He said leaving was a “huge process” before adding, “that’s why I tell you I am going to leave so that it’s not like an Irish goodbye” — as giving people ample notice would soften the blow.

He also said he missed spending time in South Africa, visiting friends and family and eating South African food, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can hear all of his responses below:

The host touched briefly on rumours that he was dating Dua Lipa in an exchange with Roy Wood Jr.:

Lesson learned. @roywoodjr is keeping his mouth shut around Trevor pic.twitter.com/zyTTD28Pjr

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) October 5, 2022

He said don’t believe the tabloids, but he didn’t flat out deny it.

The South African is worth an estimated $100 million, which makes him a rand billionaire with plenty of spare change.

Tickets for the GrandWest show of his 2023 South African tour are on sale starting from R405. Seats in the centre front row cost in excess of R1 000.

Cut your fans some slack, man, you’re a billionaire.

[source:huffpost]