I want you to close your eyes for a second and imagine a world where Samantha Bee could have hosted The Daily Show . Are you doing it? Seems nice, right? We like Samantha Bee, we liked The Daily Show, and we miss Jon Stewart (though we love Trevor Noah). It seems like it all worked out, and we're hardly missing out on something with Bee not taking the helm after Stewart's departure. After all, Bee is still on our televisions and Noah is rocking that hosting spot. But how does Bee feel about not hosting The Daily Show ? Pretty good, actually, just as we all should.
Noah is a perfect and groundbreaking choice for the position, but I was on team Samantha Bee if not Jessica Williams before he stepped up to knock this one out of the park. I know I'm not alone in feeling that way, especially since that was one of the first things Katie Couric asked Bee in a recent interview. However, Bee says she feels "very zen" about not being offered the hosting gig, because it led to her schedule being open enough to more forward with the not one but two shows she's now behind: The Detour, which she and husband Jason Jones executive produce together, and of course Full Frontal with Samantha Bee .
As Bee told Couric, "When Jon announced that he was leaving, we were like, 'Oh, please pick up The Detour. Come on, TBS! And they did. Then they swooped in with the offer to do my own show, and I immediately jumped on it. So it all worked out for me." I know people always say "everything happens for a reason," but this is the first time I think I've seen it play out this clearly.
The shows Bee ended up with are much more suited to her, and can highlight her wit, intelligence, and sense of humor different ways than The Daily Show can. I still miss when Bee was lighting up The Daily Show, but her place there opened up so many doors for her that I can't mourn the loss for long for long. Both The Daily Show and Bee continue to kick serious butt out there, and now I have more than one show to watch. It's a win/win/win for all involved.
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