Comedy Central announced last week that Trevor Noah would replace John Stewart on “The Daily Show.” The 31-year-old South African comedian is known for routines about race and politics, and often riffs about his multiracial background – born of a Xhosa mother and Swiss-German father, Noah’s birth was considered illegal in apartheid-era South Africa. He is expected to bring a unique, young and international perspective to the show.

Although Noah is a relative unknown in the states – having appeared on the “The Daily Show” only three times since December – he is well known in South Africa, where he has appeared on various TV programs and is famous for his stand-up and for hosting his own show, “Tonight with Trevor Noah.” The comedian is currently traveling worldwide with his new tour ‘Lost in Translation.’

Following Stewart’s announcement in February that he would step down sometime this year after 15 years of hosting “The Daily Show,” there was wide speculation about who would succeed him. Many expressed disappointment that the beloved comics Tina Fey or Amy Poehler were not chosen to host, since women have been conspicuously absent from plum gigs on late-night shows.

“We talked to women. We talked to men,” President of Comedy Central Michelle Ganeless said in a statement. “We found in Trevor the best person for the job.”

Rolling Stone speculated on the new direction in which Noah may take the show, noting that his cool and contained stage presence contrasts sharply with John Stewart’s tendency toward spit-takes and fuming rages. Noah is a polyglot – he speaks six languages – and can reproduce accents effortlessly; the magazine predicts that the young comedian will have “almost assuredly a wide array of parts to play.”

Information for this article was taken from theguardian.com.