Roy Wood Jr. exits 'The Daily Show' amid Comedy Central permanent host search

"The Daily Show" correspondent and guest host Roy Wood Jr. has announced his departure from the show after eight years.

"After eight amazing years on 'The Daily Show,' where I've been able to pursue my comedic and political curiosities with some of the best writers, producers, crew and correspondents anyone could hope for, I've made the decision to move on," the comedian said in a statement to USA TODAY Thursday.

"I'm grateful to Trevor Noah, Paramount and especially Comedy Central for giving me the runway to also produce three one-hour stand-up specials, for letting me host two award winning podcasts, letting me write & shoot my own comedy pilot, write a film, and much, much more. I look forward to finding other ways to collaborate with them down the road."

Wood, 44, concluded that he's "excited to nurture new ideas and see what the future holds for me in the shifting sands of late night television, scripted comedy, and whatever else the comedy gods may have in store for me in 2024 and beyond."

The comedian joined "The Daily Show" as a correspondent in 2015 and began filling in as a guest host amid Trevor Noah's exit in January following a seven-year run as host.

A spokesperson for "The Daily Show" called Wood "a comedic genius and beloved teammate" in response to his exit. "

"His insights and hilarity helped us make sense of the 2016 election, the pandemic, and countless hours of Fox News," the spokesperson added. "We thank him for his time with us and can't wait to see what he does next."

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Wood told NPR Thursday that waiting for "The Daily Show" to decide on a permanent host made it difficult to plan future endeavors. If offered the position, he said he would "consider that" despite his departure.

"The Daily Show" returns to air on Oct. 16, one of the last late night programs to resume shows after the Writers Guild of America strike ended in September.

Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, John Oliver, Seth Meyers and Bill Maher have all returned to their posts. Currently there are no women and people of color in the late night comedic space.

Wood told NPR he feels that people of color are often "last hired, first fired" amid the lack of variety. "I don't believe diversity to be the paramount priority (anymore)."

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