Lewis Black is not ready to leave The Daily Show, despite his long run of success with departing host Jon Stewart. Black has been with the show for 19 years according to a new chat over at Screen Crush during his promotional run on the new Pixar film Inside Out. It would seem that Black has a very simple reason for sticking around on the show: exposure:
“I’m gonna work it for a little while longer,” Black revealed. “Part of it is, they want me to stay. But also, it’s a way for me to maintain a public profile. Like it or not, I’m not big and TV is important in terms of that. TV and then that it gets to the internet.”
Back In Black has always been a highlight of the show over the years, usually guaranteed to eek out a few laughs at the expense of Black’s seemingly endless anger. But as Screen Crush points out, he didn’t always have a smooth ride on the Comedy Central staple:
In his early days, Black would write his own on-air rants. But then he suddenly found himself removed from the creation of his own segments. “A producer came in and the, pardon the use of the term, douchebag f*cked with me. And basically cut me out of the writing. And, I said, ‘OK, I’ll just perform it.’ And, I did for a while. Now, I’m back in the groove and have some input. But, it really did almost destroy my relationship with the show.”
I like that Black is sticking around, not only because I like him but also because he’s a worthwhile support for new host Trevor Noah. Any new host deserves a fair chance to host with the best support possible at his side and Black has proven himself for 19 years. It’ll be sad when he goes, but at least we’ve got a little more time.
(Via Screen Crush)
