NEW YORK (AP) — You want a great career in comedy? Start by landing a job as a correspondent on “The Daily Show”! Under Jon Stewart’s 16-year run as host, it became one of TV’s best launching pads.
Here are a few shining examples:
— Stephen Colbert (1997-2005). Arriving two years before Stewart became host, Colbert scored in his emerging persona as a right-wing blowhard correspondent. He left “The Daily Show” to launch his own companion show, which he hosted for a decade. Then, in late 2014, he exited Comedy Central for CBS, where in September he will step into the “Late Show” slot long occupied by David Letterman.
— Steve Carell (1999-2005). From 2005 to 2011, he starred in the NBC comedy “The Office,” then left to continue a thriving film career, including his Oscar-nominated performance in the 2014 drama “The Foxcatcher.”
— John Oliver (2006-2013). In April 2014, this droll Brit debuted his own weekly comic-commentary show, “Last Week Tonight,” on HBO.
— Ed Helms (2002-2006). He joined “The Office” in 2006, continuing through its conclusion in 2013. His films include “The Hangover” trilogy and “We’re the Millers.”
— Larry Wilmore (2006-2014). A successful writer-producer (“The PJs” and “The Bernie Mac Show”), he served as Senior Black Correspondent before leaving “The Daily Show” to host Comedy Central’s “The Nightly Show,” which premiered in January.
— Samantha Bee (2003-2015) and Jason Jones (2005-2015). After their lengthy stints at “The Daily Show,” this married comic couple left in May 2015 to develop a comedy for TBS.
— Rob Corddry (2002-2006). After “The Daily Show,” he created and stars in the online and TV cult favorite “Childrens Hospital.”
— Aasif Mandvi (2006-2015). Along with comic TV appearances, he has been a regular on the dramas “The Bedford Diaries” and “Jericho,” as well as on the current HBO comedy “The Brink.”
— Trevor Noah (2014-2015). A rising young stand-up comic from South Africa, Noah had barely set foot into “The Daily Show” as a correspondent before he was tapped to succeed Stewart as host. He takes over in that role on Sept. 28.
