Comedian Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, on Friday announced that he will quit the program after hosting it for seven years.

In a video statement shared on Twitter, the 38-year-old said that he wanted to dedicate more time to stand-up comedy.

“We have laughed together, we have cried together,” he said. “But after seven years, I feel like it’s time.”

Noah took over as host of The Daily Show after Jon Stewart signed off in 2015.

During his stint, he spoke about the pressing issues in the United States, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement and the 2021 attacks on the Capitol.

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“I spent two years in my apartment [during Covid-19], not on the road,” the South African comedian said in his address. “Stand-up was done, and when I got back out there again, I realised that there is another part of my life that I want to carry on exploring.”

Noah expressed his gratitude to his audience, The Daily Show team and to Comedy Central, who he said “believed in this random comedian nobody knew on this side of the world”.

Comedy Central in a statement said that the network had been working with Noah for a long time to find a way for him to maintain the demanding schedule, The New York Times reported. “With no timetable for his departure, we’re working together on next steps,” it added.

Social media users said that they were sad to hear Noah’s departure announcement.

Noah raised important issues