All the Reasons Jessica Williams Should be The Daily Show’s Next Host

Shardae Jobson
Special to the NNPA from The New Pittsburgh Courier

(NNPA)—Jessica Williams was added to the cast of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as a correspondent at only 22 -years-old. Clearly, we’re obsessed with her. It’s been five years of her making us laugh on the show and she’s more than proved her comedic weight!

She’s fearless to sound the alarm on America’s embarrassing ways of handling sexism, racism, politics and the media, her humorous criticism also grants her the option of including a uniquely feminist or womanist angle. With that said, #TeamBeautiful believes Williams will be an amazing successor to Jon Stewart as the next Daily Show host! You know he’s leaving, right?

Jon Stewart announced his departure from hosting The Daily Show this week–a gig he’s had since 1999. A short list has not been released on who’ll fulfill the role, but Williams unapologetically has the attributes we want from the next host, which is to be sharp, quirk and ahead of the curve. And as a public figure, Williams’ take on being a young Black woman in America is refreshing. In a Q&A with Mother Jones last year, Williams proudly said

“Honestly, I love that [on The Daily Show] my race does come into play. I love being a black woman and being able to say those things. There’s truth in comedy, and that resonates with people of all races. But I’m not walking around feeling black all the time. That would stress me out. It would make me crack. Some days I do feel that pressure of, “What do I mean as a black woman? What am I representing?” It honestly just gives me anxiety. Ultimately, when I deliver something, a lot of times it will be from a black woman’s perspective, but other times it will be just from a satirical, goofy perspective. I’m a young correspondent, so sometimes I’m just young. Sometimes I’m just straightforward. We have one of the most diverse casts out there, but we’re not putting ourselves in a box.”

Between her work with The Daily Show, the former Nickelodeon star of Just for Kicks and an attendee of Cal State Long Beach, Williams has appeared on season three of HBO’s GIRLS and currently stars in Hot Tub Time Machine 2, where she plays the host of The Daily Show in the future. Coincidental?! We think not. Williams was asked if she could “imagine being in Stewart’s chair?” and she said, “Oh my gosh, no! That would be so scary! I don’t think I’d be able to go through that pressure.”

But girl, you wrote in December for WIRED magazine that you’ll like to be the next (“more relatable”) Oprah Winfrey! We think you’re so ready to host! Even if you haven’t fully watched a Williams segment on The Daily Show, it’s time to get acquainted because we’re betting on her! Watch the hilarious and smart videos below that show exactly why she’s one of our favorite new “It” girls!

On reporting from The White House:

On how to stay away from danger as a young female student in college:

On the military’s restrictions on Black hair:

Remember the street harassment experiment video that broke the Internet? Williams tackled the subject weeks before through her “Feminized Atmosphere.”

A Black History Month segment that included her stance on “Stand Your Ground”:

On New York City food stamps, the real “Hunger Games”:

On “stop and frisk” in New York City:

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