5. Chris Rock
The most qualified person for this job other than Jon Stewart (and that’s never going to happen) is Chris Rock. The 57-year-old comedian has been doing political bits almost as long as Trever Noah’s been alive—never forget he once hosted his own Emmy-award-winning show on HBO that frequently tackled race and politics. Rock nearly succeeded Stewart when the longtime host left The Daily Show, although he only wanted to sit behind the desk for a year to cover the 2016 election. With another batshit national election cycle on the way, maybe Comedy Central can sweeten the pot, and we’ll get a year or more of Rock’s biting comic perspective on The Daily Show.
4. Desus Nice
The Bodega Boys ended their reign as the best show on late night TV with an interview of none other than The Captain himself, Derek Jeter. What could be more serendipitous and bittersweet? Desus and Mero gave us years of top-shelf relatable comedy, but to see the partnership fizzle out earlier this year left a gigantic void on television. Since the duo split, though, Desus has hosted a taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live! and our Jamaican brother knocked it out of the park. Out of the two, Desus is much more equipped to skewer bad faith politicians. Desus would make for a great The Daily Show host, even if he rocks his suits with Timbs.
3. Aisha Tyler
Aisha Tyler is a seasoned and decorated comic veteran. She voices Lana Kane on Archer, hosts Whose Line is it Anyway?, won an Emmy for her role as a host on CBS’ The Talk, and even appeared in Ye’s “Slow Jamz” music video. As a stand-up comedian and veteran host, she’s more than equipped to take the reins of The Daily Show—she even had her own very short-lived show with a similar format called Unapologetic with Aisha Tyler. Why was it so short-lived? Well, it was on AMC for one and the show aired on Monday nights after something called Dietland.
2. Roy Wood Jr.
The natural order of things would suggest that a current correspondent would get promoted or perhaps get their own spinoff show. The Daily Show has a handful of great correspondents (s/o Jaboukie Young-White, who just released a song called “BBC”). The best candidate for the role would be Roy Wood Jr., who has been a correspondent for seven years. Sure, a hosting gig would hinder one of the best active stand-up comedians from frequently hitting the stage or taping specials, but with Wood Jr. at the helm, The Daily Show would possibly be the funniest it has ever been.
1. Ziwe
If you haven’t seen Ziwe’s eponymously titled show on Showtime, get on that immediately. The episode where she interviews Chet Hanks is probably the funniest 30 minutes of television produced this year. Ziwe’s fearless and hilarious style of interviewing guests would put the fear of God in politicians, various wonks, and commentators who find a stop through The Daily Show necessary for their career advancement. In a way, she’d be doing a real public service. Would Viacom really let that happen?
H. Drew Blackburn