In a time of great political turmoil, people are seeking a respite from the madness through humor – a trend evident through the recent success of Comedy Central’s late-night talk shows.
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah just marked its most-watched quarter, with an average of 1.5 million nightly viewers, according to a Comedy Central press release. The quarter contained the show’s most-watched and highest-rated week (May 29), since Noah took over from Jon Stewart.
The Daily Show’s strong ratings were reflected on social media, with more than 12 million likes, shares, comments and other interactions during the quarter across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Keep up the good work, Trevor!
Much of Noah’s recent content has resonated with those feeling helpless and angry about current events. His powerful recent monologue about the dash-cam footage showing the shooting of Philando Castile, the black motorist killed last summer by a Minnesota police officer, was just one example of many. Noah briefly abandoned his comedic style to share his feelings about the video, stating “when I watched this video, it broke me. It just – it broke me.”
In a crowded late-night landscape, incisive takes like this one have inserted Noah into the upper echelon of late-night hosts from a critical point of view. In an article discussing potential 2017 Emmy nominations, Gold Derby’s Daniel Montgomery writes, “the Daily Show brand is powerful, and Noah has been making a name for himself, most recently with a commentary on the shooting death of black motorist Philando Castile that went viral.”
As The Daily Show With Trevor Noah’s profile grows, Comedy Central continues to evolve the rest of its late-night landscape of political talk shows, with former Daily Show correspondent Jordan Klepper set to host his own show this fall. As a Daily Show correspondent, Klepper kept fans laughing with his popular, two-part Good Guy With a Gun segments and field pieces of Trump rallies, including one where he applies an ideology test to Trump supporters:
Klepper’s new show (which is currently unnamed) joins the already impressive line-up of late-night talk shows on Comedy Central, including The Jim Jefferies Show and The President Show, which Comedy Central extended for seven additional episodes before its first run had even concluded.