Jessica Williams leaving Daily Show: Watch her best moments
By Hector Cruz
The Daily Show posts some of Jessica Williams’ best moments after the correspondent announces she’s departing the show to star in her own Comedy Central series.
Jessica Williams revealed on Wednesday that she’s leaving The Daily Show after four years as a correspondent. However, unlike other recent alums who have gotten their own late-night series on other networks, the comedian is staying with Comedy Central to star in her own project on the cable network.
She becomes the first person to leave The Daily Show since Trevor Noah was hired to replace Jon Stewart as host, after joining the show in January 2012 at the age of 22, becoming the youngest correspondent to ever be hired and the first black woman to hold the position. Williams’ final appearance will be on Thursday in a segment where she interviews Bernie Sanders supporters who are planning to vote for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton in November.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly where she announced her departure, Williams revealed that she just told her Daily Show colleagues about the decision on Tuesday, and went on to describe her new series — in which she will star, produce and write on — as centering on a politically-oriented woman in her 20s “who has all these social ideas but still does not have it together.” The half-hour scripted show will be co-produced by Naomi Ekperigin, a writer for Broad City and Difficult People. The 26-year-old’s other projects include a popular podcast called 2 Dope Queens, and a starring role in an upcoming romantic comedy.
While reminiscing about her time on the late-night series, Williams said that her favorite moments came when she was able to make Stewart laugh, though she admitted that she hasn’t spoken to him since making the decision to leave. The satirical news program posted a highlight reel of Williams’ time on the show, including segments surrounding Beyonce’s controversial Super Bowl performance, transgender rights, racial profiling, catcalling, and successfully getting the small New York town of Whitesboro to change their offensive seal. Watch the clip below:
The move allows Comedy Central to keep a talented performer in-house after losing Samantha Bee, John Oliver, Jason Jones and Stephen Colbert, as well as Stewart, to other networks in just the past two years. The announcement should not come as a surprise as Williams signed a development deal with the cable net in April. Another stand-out correspondent, Jordan Klepper, has also signed a similar contract with Comedy Central, but network president Kent Alterman told EW that there are currently no plans for him to exit The Daily Show.
The remaining correspondents include Roy Wood Jr., Ronny Chieng, Desi Lydic, and Hasan Minhaj, in addition to long-time contributors such as Lewis Black and Kristen Schaal, as well as new additions like Michelle Wolf. The news comes as The Daily Show continues to find its footing with Noah as host, with ratings continuing to decline despite the crazy election season.
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Tune into The Daily Show Monday through Thursday at 11 p.m. on Comedy Central.