Mark your calendar for Mediaweek, October 29-30 in New York City. We’ll unpack the biggest shifts shaping the future of media—from tv to retail media to tech—and how marketers can prep to stay ahead. Register with early-bird rates before sale ends!
Sometime before the end of 2015, the face of The Daily Show will change, and the show's gender should probably change, too.
Jon Stewart's 17-year tenure on the series could come to an end as early as July, or so the comedian announced last night during an emotional monologue. The show has grown into a major force, not just in comedy but in news as well. So who belongs in the fake anchor's chair?
We asked Doug Herzog, president of the Viacom Entertainment Group, what he thought about the future of The Daily Show, and he was (of course) a little cagey. But he did say hiring a woman to take over was a distinct possibility.
"The Daily Show endures," he said. "All good ideas are being considered. We're happy to have anybody that we believe is going to be funny enough and smart enough to sit behind that desk."
We've ranked our picks below, but honestly, any of these women could do a sterling job taking the show in a new direction that would be in keeping with the network's prime-time slate. Comedy Central has taken full advantage of the popularity of women in comedy by snapping up a dozen of TV's funniest comediennes to populate its prime-time schedule. Broad City and Inside Amy Schumer, for instance, have become major players.
A lot of folks are floating new and untried talent for this post—there's a petition circulating to give the post to the great Jessica Williams, who's 25—we think that's probably not the way to go (Stewart was 37 when he took over the show). Writing 15 minutes of solid political comedy five nights a week is a marathon, not a sprint—The Daily Show had 159 episodes last year. But these five are up to the task.
