Larry Wilmore To Succeed Stephen Colbert With Jon Stewart-Produced Show To Launch In January On Comedy Central

Just like it did with Stephen Colbert nine years ago, Comedy Central and Jon Stewart have gone to the bench of correspondents on The Daily Show to find a host for the post-Daily Show 11:30 PM slot. Senior Black correspondent Larry Wilmore will host a new nightly program, The Minority Report, which will launch in January 2015, following the end of The Colbert Report. (Colbert will be departing Comedy Central at the end of his contract in December to prepare for taking over CBS’ Late Show from David Letterman.) Wilmore also is attached as showrunner of ABC comedy Black-ish, which was just picked up to series. He is expected to complete his obligations, get the show off the ground and help with the transition before segueing to The Minority Report.

Like with The Colbert Report, The Minority Report was created by Jon Stewart and will be produced by his Busboy Prods., with Stewart and Wilmore serving as executive producers. The move, with Stewart continuing to produce both The Daily Show and its companion program, will likely help keep the comedian in the Comedy Central fold when his contract comes up next year.

The Minority Report With Larry Wilmore will be a comedic take on the day’s news. It will feature a panel of voices, which Comedy Central says, as the title suggests, “are currently underrepresented in comedy and television.” Said Stewart: “While Larry Wilmore is a brilliant comic and showrunner, this is all just a complicated ruse to get him to move to New York and turn him into a Knicks fan.” Responded Wilmore, “I love the city of New York and promise to only wear my Laker t-shirts when I’m layering.”