Trevor Noah Makes a Blunt Confession About Why He Left 'The Daily Show'

Trevor Noah wouldn't change a thing about his departure from The Daily Show , which he hosted from 2015 to 2022 .

Earlier this week, the 40-year-old media personality sat down with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager to promote his new children's book , Into the Uncut Grass . But while chatting with the Today personalities, Noah also revisited his past and his decision to walk away from the program after nearly a decade.

"Something I've realized, and, it's something I've realized in America, like in America, nothing is supposed to end," he said to the surprise of both Kotb, 60, and Bush Hager, 42.

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"I don't know how to explain it, but it's like nothing is supposed to end," he continued, "And I realized, you know, especially in the past few years, since I've been able to travel more—back to South Africa and travel around the world—is like, things come to an end."

The inevitable ending, as Noah described it, shouldn't necessarily carry negative connotations, either.

"You have a journey, it's beautiful and it has its ups and its downs, and at some point, you go, 'This is the end of the journey,' and you want to try something different, you want to try something new," he said.

Both hosts seemed on the same side as Noah, with Bush Hager suggesting that the apparent cultural phenomenon about endings here is "why we can't even talk about death." As for Kotb, well, her actions speak louder than words as she recently announced a similar decision to leave her usual spot on Today sometime in early 2025.

Seemingly taking from her own experience, Kotb—who has also spoken out about what inspired her career change—then asked if there was any "one moment" for the comedian that made him realize the end was near, like there was for her while celebrating her milestone birthday this past August.

"It was a combination of things," Noah responded. "First of all, I'd been at The Daily Show for eight years, hosting for seven," he shared, explaining that working through the height of the pandemic and being one of the first to resume its "on-air" programming, he was left with a "concentrated idea of working, and doing the show, and making it."

The two-time Emmy winner continued, crediting Jon Stewart with giving him some of the "best advice" for his career journey.

"He said, 'Make sure you leave before you become metastasized in the way you think about it," Noah told Kotb and Bush Hager. "'Make sure you leave before you become cynical. Make sure you leave before you're tired, before you feel like you need to rest in the space.'"

"And I'm really glad that I did that," Noah concluded.

As for if he'd ever go back, the producer and political commentator joked on The View that he would consider guest hosting , but only to "ruin" one of the current hosts' days.

Next: Big Changes Coming to Today Show Following Hoda Kotb's Exit