Kal Penn Doesn’t Deny Rumors He’s in Talks to Host ‘The Daily Show’

Following speculation that Comedy Central was approaching the comedian for the role, Kal Penn has not denied the allegations of possibly taking over the hosting gig of The Daily Show.  On the November 3 edition of The Late Late Show With James Corden, the titular host asked Penn about his interest in the satirical news show.

After discussing Blockbuster with star Melissa Fumero and getting into anecdotes about the VHS rental service of yesteryear, Corden asks the question and gives Penn his endorsement as host before he can even respond.

After thanking Corden for his kind words and joking about needing two referrals for the Comedy Central application, he admits, “I grew up on Jon Stewart’s TV show, and obviously, I revere Trevor Noah, so the mere fact that I was even mentioned in an article like that is a huge honor, I feel like I should leave it at that. I mean, who wouldn’t want to have that opportunity? It’s a show that I think many of us grew up on and just really appreciate.”

It was previously reported that Comedy Central is looking to replace Trevor Noah as host of The Daily Show ahead of his exit on December 8. It was earlier speculated that the network would hire one of the show’s current correspondents. But that was before a Variety article suggested that Comedy Central is looking for a host outside of its camp, mentioning Penn and “People like Samantha Bee. ”

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Penn previously hosted a show on Freeform entitled Kal Penn Approves This Message, which focused on issues that concern Millennial and Generation Z voters. Penn’s latest project is The Santa Clauses spinoff series in which he appears alongside Tim Allen and Elizabeth Mitchell.

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Weeknights, 11/10c, Comedy Central