Trevor Noah, who left as host of “The Daily Show” in late 2022, is bringing his comedic voice to an original Spotify weekly podcast set to debut later this year.
The weekly podcast will blend Noah’s “signature humor and razor-sharp wit with his global perspective to deliver a unique take on the hottest and most captivating topics of the moment,” according to Spotify. The series (whose name is TBD) will also feature in-depth interviews between Noah and “some of the most influential and interesting figures around the world,” the company said.
While Noah’s podcast will be a “Spotify original,” it will not be exclusive to the streamer: The show will be available to listen to across numerous platforms. By contrast, Spotify has secured exclusive distribution for shows from several popular podcasters, including Joe Rogan, Alex Cooper, Emma Chamberlain and Dax Shepard.
“I’ve always been somebody who enjoys trying new things and exploring different ways to express what I do,” Noah told PvNew. “I think this is going to be a really exciting opportunity to create a little more of what I’ve always created — and a lot more of what I haven’t created before.”
Podcasting “just gives me an opportunity to expand a little bit more on some of the elements that television doesn’t necessarily allow you to as much — which is long form,” he said. For example, a podcast lets you speak to somebody for, say, 40 minutes or more if you need to, and you’re not “restricted by the blocks of TV time as they’re dictated by ads,” he said. With a podcast, “I can be anywhere in the world creating an episode.”
On the new podcast, Noah said, “we’ll engage in interesting and meaningful conversations with some of the world’s most fascinating people. We’ll also probably fix every single issue humankind has ever faced so you definitely want to join us for every episode.”
Spotify’s deal with Noah signals the company’s continued interested in bringing big-name talent to its podcast lineup. Not all of its podcast deals have been fruitful: Last week came word that Spotify’s exclusive podcast pact with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was over, while Barack and Michelle Obama parted ways with Spotify last year.
“Trevor fits into our upcoming strategy on every level we could hope for,” said Julie McNamara, VP, head of global podcast studios at Spotify. “He’s a consummate creator with a unique point of view. It’s an always-on podcast, talk format. He’s really excited to be jumping into the next act of his life and career and to build community and talk to his fans about all that.”
Noah’s forthcoming Spotify podcast was announced during a conversation between the comedian and Spotify co-founder and CEO Daniel Ek at the Spotify Beach daytime lineup Tuesday at the Cannes Lions conference. In addition to his new podcast announcement, Noah and Ek discussed how creators can use new technologies and different mediums to connect with audiences.
Noah spent seven years at Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” before departing last December, and has hosted the Grammy Awards the past three years. Noah also is the author of best-selling autobiographical book “Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood.”
Spotify, which made its first foray into podcasting in 2019, says it offers more than 5 million podcast titles on its platform and has more than 100 million podcast listeners. The company had 165 original and licensed shows hit No. 1 on the Spotify charts across 99 markets in 2022.
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