Trevor Noah to succeed Jon Stewart as The Daily Show host

The Daily Show is about to get a lot more South African. Some big big shoes to fill for South African stand-up comedian Trevor Noah who has just been announced as the new show host for The Daily Show in the US.

The New York Times reported that Noah is to Succeed Jon Stewart on Comedy Central’s satirical comedy show.

“I’m thrilled for the show and for Trevor,” Stewart said in a statement to the New York Times. “He’s a tremendous comic and talent that we’ve loved working with.” He added that he “may rejoin as a correspondent just to be a part of it!!!”

Noah recently appeared in the Spot the Africa episode with former show host Stewart, who called it quits early February after a strong 16-year run. As we pointed out, Stewart has over the past decades taught Americans a lot about South Africa and the greater continent, from accents to praising the vuvuzela.

Read more: 9 things Jon Stewart taught the world about South Africa

Growing up in Soweto, Noah is the son of a Xhosa mother and a Swiss father. “He brings such a unique worldview and a deep understanding of human nature, which makes his comedy so insightful,” Michele Ganeless, the Comedy Central president told the Times. “He’s truly a student of the world.”

The news about Noah comes after Comedy Central has been criticised for the lack of diversity.

And if you’re wondering what the rest of the comedy world thinks, here’s Chris Rock’s response:

Thank you president Obama pic.twitter.com/PgFJCCyRTa

— Chris Rock (@chrisrock) March 30, 2015