Trevor Noah is leaving 'The Daily Show'

NEW YORK -- "The Daily Show" host Trevor Noah has announced he will step away from the anchor desk.

In a video statement shared on Twitter Thursday, Noah said that after seven years as host of the Comedy Central satirical news program, his "time is up."

"It's been absolutely amazing. It's something that I never expected," Noah said of his experience hosting the show. "I found myself thinking throughout the time of everything we've gone through. The Trump presidency, the pandemic, just the journey, more pandemic and I realize that after the seven years, my time is up."

Noah, a standup comedian from South Africa, was a relative newcomer to American audiences when he was named as host of "The Daily Show" after Jon Stewart signed off in 2015.

"I want to say thank you to you, to you who watched this," Noah said. "I never dreamed that I would be here. I sort of feel like 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.' I came here for a tour of what the previous show was and then the next thing you know I was handed the keys."

Noah hinted that his decision to leave the show is rooted in his desire to return to more standup work.

"I spent two years in my apartment, not on the road, and when I got back out there, I realized there's another part of my life out there that I want to carry on exploring. I miss learning other languages. I miss going to other countries and putting on shows," Noah said.

He expressed his gratitude to his viewers, "The Daily Show" team and to Comedy Central, "who believed in this random comedian nobody knew on this side of the world."

"I've loved hosting this show, it's been one of my greatest challenges and one of my greatest joys," Noah said. "I've loved trying to find a way to make people laugh, even when the stories are particularly s***y, even on the worst days. We've laughed together, we've cried together."

He did not share when his final show would be, but said he'd still be around for awhile.

"Don't worry, i'm not disappearing," Noah said. "If I owe you money, I'll still pay you."

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