Trevor Noah tells Oprah he initially turned down an invitation from 'The Daily Show'

Trevor Noah was a guest on Oprah at the Apollo, where he disclosed that his job as host of The Daily Show started with an ill-timed call from Jon Stewart.

While sitting with Oprah Winfrey, Noah recalled his first encounter with Stewart: “He said, ‘Hey, I was wondering — if you ever come to America, would you like to pop into the show and hang out? I think you’d like what we do, and maybe we can hang out.'”

Noah’s response was negative. He had just launched a comedy tour in the United Kingdom, and as that had been a lifelong goal, he wanted to see it through.

Stewart was surprised by the refusal, Noah said. “He paused and said, ‘Are you seriously saying no?’ I said, ‘Yeah. But thank you.'”

Stewart gave Noah an open invitation if he changed his mind. Noah said he called Stewart a year and a half later, and after a number of meetings and auditions, he was named Stewart’s successor.

Oprah at the Apollo airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on OWN.

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