Roy Wood Jr. is leaving The Daily Show

Roy Wood Jr., a longtime correspondent on The Daily Show and someone viewed as a potential candidate to take over the desk from Trevor Noah, is leaving Comedy Central’s flagship show. Wood shared this decision in a conversation with NPR, revealing that although he didn’t know if he was still in the running to host the series, he didn’t want to stick around as a correspondent waiting for someone else to be hired in the top spot.

“There’s no sense in me doing what I’ve been doing for the last eight years while concurrently trying to think of a new thing to do,” he told the outlet. “The job of correspondent, it’s not really one where you can juggle multiple things. And after eight years, I think I’ve earned the right to just, you know, take a quick break before January.”

According to NPR, Wood had already told Comedy Central his decision and bears no grudge against the network, with whom he partnered on several opportunities outside The Daily Show. It doesn’t sound like Comedy Central did much to convince him to stay—“What could they really say?” Wood said, “[They’re] not going to give me the job just to keep me.” However, he’s still open to the possibility if he was, indeed, offered the hosting gig. “If you’re offered the chance to host The Daily Show at any point in your life…you have to stop for a second and consider that,” he explained. “The next question becomes, ‘What does The Daily Show look like in 2024? What does late night look like?’ That is a huge question that I believe, personally, has to be answered.”

A spokesperson for The Daily Show gave a statement to NPR on Wood’s departure, saying, “Roy Wood Jr. is a comedic genius and beloved teammate. His insights and hilarity helped us make sense of the 2016 election, the pandemic, and countless hours of Fox News. We thank him for his time with us and can’t wait to see what he does next.”

Wood was one of several guest hosts who took over the desk for a week at a time after Noah exited the political comedy series. Comedy Central is still seeking a new permanent host; Hasan Minhaj was at one point thought to be the frontrunner for the position. However, after a New Yorker exposé revealing Minhaj had fabricated some of his more personal stand-up material, the search was reportedly sent “back to square one.”

For his part, Wood told NPR that Minhaj still “checks a lot of boxes that the network would want and people would want,” noting that “Hasan’s young, he’s global and he has the political I.Q.” With the lack of people of color in prominent positions in the late-night comedy space, though, Wood says he doesn’t “believe diversity to be the paramount priority [anymore].” That may be part of the reason why Wood has decided to chart his own course forward now.