So, About The 'Daily Show' Host Not Being a Woman

The Daily Show torch has been passed, and comedian Trevor Noah is replacing Jon Stewart. It's definitely an... intriguing pick. First, let me say that I'm not at all opposed to Noah being hired as Stewart's successor. Though he's still not widely known by The Daily Show audience, he's clearly funny and an intellectual, and his biracial background should give us a different perspective. But, well... he IS still a dude, and it's not like there were any shortage of qualified, hilarious women who could've had their day in the spotlight.

Of course our favorite pick (or my favorite pick; I don't know your mind) was undoubtably the young, hip, so dead-on accurate Jessica Williams, who owns my heart completely. I can't think of a segment featuring the brilliant correspondent that doesn't either make me laugh, make me think, or make my confused body do both at the same time. However, Williams declined hosting The Daily Show on the grounds that she saw herself as too young, inexperienced, and a little hot-headed for the role right now. "At this age (25) if something happens politically that I don't agree with, I need to go to my room & like not come out for, like, 7 days," she remarked on Twitter, speaking for all of us as per usual.

It still could've been Samantha Bee, the Most Senior Correspondent and, in fact, The Daily Show's longest running correspondent of all time. But Bee announced her departure on the show a few short weeks after Stewart, leaving nothing but another empty void to fill... in our soul. And on the show, I guess.

And what about outside of The Daily Show? Beloved Grecian Muse of Comedy Tina Fey was more than qualified to host The Daily Show after her stints on SNL's Weekend Update. In fact, not only did a Quinnipiac University National poll show that the public wanted Fey as the new host of The Daily Show, but a similar poll by Keyhole said that most Twitter users thought Fey should've replaced David Letterman. But, even if they didn't go in the vein of Fey, there were plenty of other women that are more than capable of owning The Daily Show desk. I'm just saying, Chelsea Handler had some free time on her hands.

So yes, I'm slightly disappointed, because this really could've been an opportunity to push more women into the forefront of late night television. We're still rolling around in the ashes of "women aren't funny" claims, so a female host of The Daily Show, an American establishment that's been delivering biting satire for nearly 20 years now, would've been a veritable game changer. Late night shows create legacies, people.

But devastated? No. It is very plausible that Comedy Central execs DID tap our favorite funny ladies on the shoulder and they were just interested in pursuing other projects — because, let's face it, late night shows create legacies because people are on it forever. It's a commitment, and you really have to be willing to go the distance.

What needs to happen, though, is that Comedy Central should inject some new blood into The Daily Show, and bring on some fantastically hilarious female correspondents. Someone needs to fill Bee's shoes, as we'll miss her loopy ready-to-play attitude. Someone needs to keep up with Williams, so she's not the only one pointing out the dangers of generalized womanhood, all while making our sides ache from laughter.

I'm excited to see a potentially more globally-forward approach to The Daily Show, and I'm game to see what Noah can do. But if we're going to start a new era, allow me to echo the words of Abigail Adams: "remember the ladies."

Images: Trevor Noah/Instagram; Giphy (3)