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List of The Daily Show correspondents

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This article is a list of the correspondents and on-screen contributors who have appeared on the satirical television program The Daily Show. Correspondents, collectively known as "The Best F#@king News Team Ever" (known as "The World's Fakest News Team" between 2015 and 2023), normally have two roles: "experts" with satirical "senior" titles whom the host interviews about certain issues, or hosts of original reporting segments, which often showcase interviews of serious political figures. During Jon Stewart's tenure, the show's contributors often had their own unique recurring segment on the show and tended to appear less frequently; former host Trevor Noah is a former correspondent and contributor who was featured during the Stewart era.

Current cast

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Correspondents

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Name Debut Notes
Desi Lydic September 29, 2015 New Senior Geopolitical Correspondent, Senior Antiquities Correspondent, Senior Campaign Correspondent, Segment Host: "What The Actual Fact?",[1] Weatherperson (Noah era).
Ronny Chieng October 7, 2015 Senior Technology Correspondent, Senior Climatology Correspondent, Senior Basketball Correspondent,[1] Segment Host: "Everything is Stupid", "What's Trending".
Michael Kosta July 11, 2017 Senior Constitutional Correspondent, Senior American Correspondent,[2] Segment Co-Host: "I Apologize for Talking While You Were Talking", Stock reporter (Noah era).
Dulcé Sloan September 9, 2017 Senior Fashion Correspondent,[3] Lottery announcer (Noah era).
Troy Iwata October 19, 2023
Grace Kuhlenschmidt October 25, 2023
Josh Johnson February 20, 2024

Contributors

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Name Debut Notes
Lewis Black July 31, 1996 "Back in Black", he is the longest-running contributor to work on The Daily Show, having served on the show since the first month it was on the air.
Jordan Klepper December 16, 2019 After his show Klepper ended in 2019, he returned to the show to cover the 2020 election, and do "Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse" segments.[4]
John Leguizamo November 22, 2023 "In My Opinion"
Leslie Jones March 28, 2024
Charlamagne tha God April 3, 2024
Ricky Velez October 10, 2024
Laverne Cox October 17, 2024
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog June 26, 2024

Former cast

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Hosts

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Name Year Joined Year Left Notes
Craig Kilborn July 22, 1996 December 17, 1998 The original host. Left the show because he was chosen to host The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder's departure. Kilborn appeared on the show 16 years later on Jon Stewart's final episode on August 6, 2015.
Jon Stewart January 11, 1999 August 6, 2015 Succeeded Kilborn as the new host of The Daily Show and is the most prolific host of the show. Stewart's final show was an hour long special on August 6, 2015. He returned to the show on December 7, 2015, to urge Congress to permanently extend a health care law for 9/11 first responders. Returned to host on a weekly basis on February 12, 2024.
Trevor Noah September 28, 2015 December 8, 2022 Originally debuted as the Senior International Correspondent and as a contributor on December 4, 2014. In March 2015, Comedy Central revealed that he would be hosting the show. Noah’s final show was an hour long special on December 8, 2022.

Correspondents

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Name Year Joined Year Left Notes
Dan Bakkedahl September 20, 2005 September 25, 2007 Hired to replace departing correspondent Stephen Colbert on September 25, 2005. Filed his final report on September 25, 2007.
Samantha Bee July 10, 2003 April 30, 2015 "This Week in God", "Are You Prepared?!?"; The Daily Show's first non-US citizen correspondent; all-time longest-serving regular correspondent after passing Stephen Colbert in 2011; filled in for a sick Jon Stewart on October 7, 2014. Bee departed the show on April 30, 2015, to host Full Frontal with Samantha Bee on TBS. She is married to fellow former correspondent Jason Jones.
Mary Birdsong January 31, 2002 March 14, 2002 Contributing correspondent.
A. Whitney Brown July 23, 1996 December 15, 1998 "Backfire"; was one of The Daily Show's original correspondents. Had his own The Daily Show special in 1998 called "Weirder Than Whitney".
Nancy Walls December 7, 1999 August 8, 2002 "We Love Showbiz", "Popular Music Omnibus", "Dollars and "Cents"". Was credited under maiden name, Nancy Walls, and has been married to fellow former correspondent Steve Carell since 1995.
Steve Carell February 11, 1999 April 4, 2005 "Even Stephven", "Produce Pete", "Dollars and "Cents"", "We Love Showbiz", "Slimmin' Down With Steve", "Ad Nauseam". Carell had his own The Daily Show special in May 2001 called "Steve Carell Salutes Steve Carell" highlighting his most popular field assignments on the show. Carell is the first correspondent to become a major movie and television star, and the only correspondent to receive an Academy Award nomination since leaving The Daily Show in early 2005. Carell has since returned numerous times as a featured guest. He is married to fellow former correspondent Nancy (Walls) Carell.
Wyatt Cenac June 3, 2008 December 13, 2012 Senior Correspondent; also provides voice for Michael Steele puppet. Filed his final report on December 13, 2012, but also made cameo guest appearances on August 15, 2013, for the last show of guest host John Oliver.
Michael Che June 4, 2014 September 18, 2014 Left to co-anchor "Weekend Update" on Saturday Night Live. Shortest correspondent tenure as of 2015.[5] Was among the former correspondents who made an appearance on Jon Stewart's final episode on August 6, 2015.
Stephen Colbert June 26, 1997 September 26, 2005 "Even Stephven", "This Week in God", "The Jobbing of America". Stephen Colbert hosted The Daily Show six times (January 24, 2001; February 20 and 22, 2001; March 26–27, 2001; April 3 and 5, 2001; May 2–3, 2001; March 6, 2003; July 6, 2004). Although Colbert left The Daily Show team in mid-2005, through 2010 Stewart frequently "tossed" to him at The Colbert Report at the end of a show. Colbert has also made a number of Daily Show cameos since 2005, particularly in reference to his mock "presidential campaigns" in 2007/08 and 2011/12, and Stewart's stewardship of Colbert SuperPAC in 2011. With a nearly nine-year tenure, Colbert was the longest serving correspondent on The Daily Show until his record was broken by Samantha Bee in 2011. Before taking over as new host of The Late Show on CBS.
Nate Corddry October 4, 2005 May 2, 2006 The younger brother of correspondent Rob Corddry. As a running joke on the show, older brother Rob would often appear in Nate's segments usually picking on him. This eventually led to the two brothers having their own "Even Stephven"-style debate segment called "Brother vs. Brother".
Rob Corddry April 17, 2002 August 24, 2006 "This Week in God", "Come On!", "Popular Music Omnibus", and as he liked to call them, "Poop jokes". Corddry filled in for Stewart (on paternity leave) on February 9, 2006. He left the show in August 2006 to start a film career and to star in The Winner, a Fox comedy that ran from March 4 to March 18, 2007. He has also returned as a special guest correspondent several times since.
Josh Gad May 5, 2009 June 27, 2011 Contributing Correspondent. Made his last appearance on June 27, 2011.
Vance DeGeneres January 14, 1999 May 17, 2001 "Dollars and "Cents"", "A Tale of Survival", had his own The Daily Show special in 2000 highlighting his popular "Tales of Survival" segments.
Rachael Harris October 28, 2002 March 20, 2003 "Mark Your Calendar", "We Love Showbiz".
Ed Helms April 29, 2002 December 5, 2006 "Digital Watch", "Ad Nauseam", "Mark Your Calendar", "We Love Showbiz", "This Week in God". Helms and fellow correspondent Rob Corddry had their own The Daily Show special in 2003 called "I'm a Correspondent: Please Don't Fire Me". Helms made an appearance on July 21, 2008, as a special guest correspondent. Helms was one of the stars of the 2009 comedy The Hangover and was a regular cast member on NBC's The Office, beginning with its third season.
Jason Jones September 29, 2005 March 26, 2015 "Are You Prepared?!?", "Jason Jones 180"; Filled in for a sick Jon Stewart on October 7, 2014. Departed the show on March 26, 2015. He is married to fellow former correspondent Samantha Bee.
Jordan Klepper March 3, 2014 September 21, 2017 New Senior Caucasian Correspondent. Senior Congressional Correspondent. Senior Campaign Correspondent. Senior Technology Correspondent. Senior Fantasy Culture Correspondent. Senior Fantasy Sports Correspondent. Senior Iowan Correspondent. Senior U.K. Correspondent. "Jordan Fingers the Pulse". Filled in for a sick Trevor Noah on October 20, 2016. Left the show so he can begin hosting his own spin-off The Opposition with Jordan Klepper on September 25, 2017. After the show got cancelled in 2018, he hosted a docuseries titled Klepper in 2019. He returned to The Daily Show on December 16, 2019, making him the last remaining correspondent from the Jon Stewart era.
Beth Littleford July 24, 1996 May 18, 2000 "The Beth Littleford Interview", "bETh". In 1999, she had her own The Daily Show special called "The Beth Littleford Interview Special", highlighting her popular celebrity interviews. She was the only original correspondent to stay with the show after Jon Stewart took over as host, leaving the show in 2000.
Al Madrigal May 17, 2011 January 12, 2016 Senior Latino Correspondent. California correspondent.
Aasif Mandvi August 9, 2006 October 14, 2015 Senior Middle East Correspondent; started as a contributor; but made correspondent in March 2007.[6] Senior Campaign Correspondent.
Hasan Minhaj November 19, 2014 August 16, 2018 Senior Indian Correspondent. Senior Political Correspondent. Senior Congressional Correspondent. Departed to host his own show Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj on Netflix.
Olivia Munn June 3, 2010 September 12, 2011 Senior Asian Correspondent.
John Oliver July 31, 2006 December 19, 2013 Senior British Person; "Wilmore-Oliver Investigates"; on writing staff from 2007 to 2013. Interim host during the summer of 2013. He departed the show on December 19, 2013, to prepare hosting his own late night show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on HBO which premiered on April 27, 2014. Returned to host the show on November 13, 2014, to promote Jon Stewart's film, Rosewater.
Rob Riggle September 20, 2006 December 10, 2008 Senior Military Affairs Correspondent; Some of his most memorable work on the show included his overseas special assignments. His week-long reports from Iraq in 2007 titled "Operation: Silent Thunder" brought much attention to the show. After the success of "Silent Thunder", he traveled to China for his second overseas four-part series during the 2008 Olympics, titled "Rob Riggle: Chasing the Dragon". Shortly after announcing he would be leaving the show, he made his farewell appearance on December 10, 2008. Riggle made a surprise appearance on the August 3, 2010, show, during an interview with Will Ferrell and again on August 15, 2013, for the last show of guest host John Oliver. Made a cameo the week of Nov 17th in a correspondent report.
Mo Rocca November 16, 1998 August 20, 2003 "Dollars and "Cents"", "Mark Your Calendar", "Mopinion". Rocca went on to parlay his Daily Show correspondent persona in numerous other cable appearances, such as several VH1 "talking head" shows and at the 2004 political conventions for Larry King Live. He is currently a correspondent for CBS News Sunday Morning.
Jeff Ross July 22, 1996 June 18, 1997 Contributing correspondent.
Denny Siegel February 2, 1999 April 15, 1999
Jeff Stilson October 9, 1998 January 18, 1999
Miriam Tolan June 15, 2000 July 25, 2001 Contributing correspondent. Also occasionally filled in for Nancy Walls on "Dollars and "Cents""
Brian Unger July 22, 1996 December 16, 1998 "Backfire", was one of The Daily Show's original correspondents.
David Wain July 23, 1996 August 6, 1996 Contributing correspondent.
Matt Walsh May 2, 2001 June 25, 2002 News You Can Utilize, "Dollars and "Cents"", had his own The Daily Show special in May 2002 called "Matt Walsh Goes to Hawaii".
Lauren Weedman July 16, 2001 October 7, 2002 "Dollars and "Cents"", "We Love Showbiz".
Jaboukie Young-White October 11, 2018 May 5, 2021 Senior Youth Correspondent.[7][8]
Jessica Williams January 11, 2012 June 30, 2016 Senior Youth Correspondent. Senior Beyoncé Correspondent. Senior Congressional Correspondent. Senior Campaign Correspondent. Senior Political Correspondent. Made surprise appearances on April 22, 2024 and October 28, 2024.
Bob Wiltfong April 6, 2004 December 1, 2005 Contributing correspondent.
Lizz Winstead July 22, 1996 December 18, 1997 Original correspondent and co-creator of The Daily Show.
Roy Wood Jr. September 28, 2015 May 1, 2023[9] Senior Mars Correspondent, Senior Wall Street Correspondent, Senior Campaign Correspondent, Senior Immigration Correspondent, Senior Hollywood Correspondent, Steve Harvey impersonator,[1] Segment Host: "CP Time", Segment Co-Host: "I Apologize for Talking While You Were Talking", Traffic reporter.
Stacey Grenrock-Woods April 2, 1998 October 21, 2003 Contributing correspondent.

Contributors

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Name Year Joined Year Left Notes
Amy Atkins March 10, 1998 March 23, 1998 Contributor.
Dave Attell April 1, 1999 January 22, 2002 Contributor, "The Ugly American".
Michael Blieden July 30, 1996 January 24, 2000 Contributor, original host of "Ad Nauseam".
John Bloom July 25, 1996 June 20, 2000 Contributor, "God Stuff".
Neal Brennan March 14, 2016 January 30, 2020 Contributor, Trevor's friend.
Rich Brown October 20, 1998 May 9, 2000 Contributor, "Public Excess". Also a one-time correspondent.
Sameer Butt December 4, 1997 April 16, 1998 Contributor.
Eliza Cossio May 16, 2016 January 24, 2017 Newest Contributor; Senior Latina Contributor
Frank DeCaro October 10, 1996 March 19, 2003 Contributor, "Out at the Movies"; he hosted his own program on Sirius Satellite Radio and was a celebrity panelist on GSN's revival of I've Got a Secret.
Mick Foley November 19, 2009 June 18, 2013 Contributor, "Senior Ass Kicker".
Dave Gorman April 24, 2006 October 5, 2006 Contributor, "Poll Smoking"; appeared on the show once as a guest in 2001 to promote Are You Dave Gorman?.
Al Greenwood March 16, 1998 October 18, 2000 Contributor, "Al Up in That". Greenwood (known for his local "Bedspread King" commercials) appeared as the show's "elderly consumer advocate". In 2000, he hosted The Daily Show special "Al Greenwood's Wrinkled Nuts", a best-of collection of the correspondent's field interviews with elderly residents. Greenwood died on June 6, 2001, at age 93. An "in memoriam" clip for Greenwood was shown as the "Moment of Zen" on the show that week.
Buck Henry January 31, 2007 September 24, 2007 Contributor, "The Henry Stops Here", Senior Historical Perspectivist. Henry died on January 8, 2020, at age 89.[10]
John Hodgman January 16, 2006 June 4, 2015 Resident Expert, Deranged Millionaire, "You're Welcome", "Exper-teasers"; "Money Talks"; appeared on the show once as a guest in November 2005 to promote The Areas of My Expertise.
Tom Johnson May 11, 2000 October 2, 2001 Contributor, "Lord Viper Scorpion".
Andy Kindler October 19, 2000 March 21, 2001 Contributor, "TV Guy".
Robert Knight February 4, 1997 April 23, 1997 Contributor.
Ed Lover September 30, 1996 December 19, 1996 Contributor, "Ed Lover's America".
Adam Lowitt December 9, 2015 March 2, 2017 Senior Jewish Correspondent
Demetri Martin November 14, 2005 February 28, 2008 Contributor, "Trendspotting". Left to star in his own Comedy Central show, Important Things with Demetri Martin.
Molly Pesce July 24, 1996 May 28, 1998 Originally co-hosted The Daily Show's movie review segments with Frank DeCaro. Eventually, DeCaro would go solo with his own segment "Out at the Movies" in 1997.
Kristen Schaal March 13, 2008 March 1, 2016 Women's Issues Correspondent; married to long-time Daily Show writer Rich Blomquist.
Tom Shillue September 29, 1998 July 20, 2000 Contributor, "This Week in Hate". Become a correspondent in 2000 before leaving.
Campbell Smith May 8, 2001 January 14, 2002 Contributor, "Dollars and "Cents"".
William Stephenson April 20, 1999 August 27, 1999 Contributor, "What I'm Sayin". Stephenson died on January 14, 2019, at age 61.[11]
Paul F. Tompkins August 6, 1998 December 3, 1998 Contributor, "Us People's Weekly Entertainment".
Larry Wilmore August 22, 2006 December 2, 2014 Senior Black Correspondent, "Wilmore-Oliver Investigates". Left to host The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore.
Michelle Wolf April 7, 2016 November 15, 2017 Senior Women's Issues Correspondent. Previously a writer on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Wolf went on to host her own show, The Break with Michelle Wolf on Netflix, which ran for ten episodes.
Gina Yashere March 16, 2017 July 16, 2018 Senior British Correspondent.[12]
Bassem Youssef February 10, 2015 April 14, 2015 Senior Middle East Correspondent. The host of Al-Bernameg (The Program), a satirical news program broadcast in Egypt from 2011 to 2014. The press has compared Youssef with Stewart, who served as an inspiration for Youssef to begin his career.[13][14][15]

Timeline chart

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List of The Daily Show correspondents (3 years or more)
1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Host: Craig Kilborn Host: Jon Stewart Host: Trevor Noah Host: Various
Dulcé Sloan
Michael Kosta
Jaboukie Young-White
Ronny Chieng
Desi Lydic
Roy Wood Jr.
Hasan Minhaj
Jordan Klepper
Jessica Williams
Al Madrigal
Wyatt Cenac
Aasif Mandvi
John Oliver
Rob Riggle
Dan Bakkedahl
Jason Jones
Samantha Bee
Rob Corddry
Ed Helms
Steve Carell
Nancy Walls
Vance DeGeneres
Mo Rocca
Stacey Grenrock-Woods
Stephen Colbert
Beth Littleford
A. Whitney Brown
Brian Unger

References

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  1. ^ a b c "RONNY CHIENG, DESI LYDIC AND ROY WOOD JR. JOIN COMEDY..." Retrieved 2015-09-02.[dead link]
  2. ^ Deb, Sopan (July 11, 2017). "Comedy Central Announces New 'Daily Show' Correspondent". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  3. ^ Stanhope, Kate (September 5, 2017). "'The Daily Show' Adds Dulce Sloan as New Correspondent". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 5, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  4. ^ "JORDAN KLEPPER DRAFTED BACK ON SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT BY THE DAILY SHOW WITH TREVOR NOAH TO PROVIDE ONGOING DISPATCHES FROM THE 2020 CAMPAIGN TRAIL BEGINNING TONIGHT". Archived from the original on 2019-12-17. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  5. ^ Busis, Hillary (2014-09-12). "Remembering Michael Che's too-brief 'Daily Show' run". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2015-02-14. Retrieved 2014-09-12.
  6. ^ Getlen, Larry (June 21, 2015). "Why Aasif Mandvi never wanted to fill Jon Stewart's shoes". New York Post. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  7. ^ Evans, Greg (2018-10-11). "Jaboukie Young-White Joins 'The Daily Show' As Correspondent". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2018-10-11. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  8. ^ White, Peter (November 11, 2021). "'The Daily Show': Correspondent Jaboukie Young-White Exits Comedy Central Late-Night Series". Deadline. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  9. ^ Iannucci, Rebecca (October 5, 2023). "Shocker: Roy Wood Jr. Quits The Daily Show After 8 Years". TVLine. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  10. ^ Weber, Bruce (9 January 2020). "Buck Henry, Who Helped Create 'Get Smart' and Adapt 'The Graduate,' Dies at 89". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  11. ^ "R.I.P. William Stephenson (1957-2019) | the Comic's Comic". Archived from the original on 2020-10-21. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  12. ^ Mahdawi, Arwa (11 June 2017). "The Daily Show's Gina Yashere: 'In England, I'd still be the token black face on Mock the Week'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  13. ^ El-Wakil, Mai (21 April 2011). "Drawing inspiration from the revolution". Al Masry Al Youm. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  14. ^ Marx, Willem (29 March 2012). "Bassem Youssef: Egypt's Jon Stewart". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 1 October 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  15. ^ Hassan, Abdalla (28 April 2011). "Surgeon Using Parody to Dissect the News in Egypt". New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
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