Roy Wood Jr. (This Is Not Happening), correspondent for The Daily Show, has said that he will be leaving after eight years. In a statement to Deadline, Wood stated that “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.”

His exit comes after the departure of Trevor Noah (Black Panther), who left The Daily Show in December. Wood told NPR that he wants to see the next steps of the Comedy Central special. He has not been offered the role of permanent host despite the loss of Noah. In a statement to NPR, Wood explained that “I can’t come up with Plan B … while still working with Plan A.”

Wood goes on to say, “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. Until then, I am 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.”

“Roy Wood Jr is a comedic genius and beloved teammate,” said a spokesperson for The Daily Show, “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.” 

The Daily Show has been dark during the WGA strike. It will return on October 16 and a permanent replacement for Noah as host is not expected until 2024.