Former Comedy Central Chief Doug Herzog Reveals John Mulaney and Jimmy Kimmel Passed on Hosting The Daily Show

Former Comedy Central president Doug Herzog revealed on the November 10, 2026 episode of LateNighter's Inside Late Night podcast with host Mark Malkoff that Jimmy Kimmel, John Mulaney, and Chris Rock were each courted to host The Daily Show during its two biggest transitions.

Herzog—who became Comedy Central president in 1995 and oversaw South Park, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Key & Peele, and Inside Amy Schumer—recalled that when original Daily Show host Craig Kilborn left for CBS in 1998, Herzog's first choice was Jimmy Kimmel, then co-hosting Win Ben Stein's Money. After Kimmel 'politely' declined over dinner in Chicago, Herzog met Jon Stewart for lunch and signed him.

When Stewart stepped down in 2015, Herzog pursued John Mulaney, who also passed over dinner, while Chris Rock offered to host The Daily Show for a single year. Herzog turned Rock's one-year offer down—saying 'my attitude was, I don't wanna do this twice'—and instead hired Trevor Noah for a multi-year run.