One day after dropping a promo video in which new host Trevor Noah assures three of The Daily Show’s surviving correspondents nothing is going to change on the show – and says how to pronounce “zebra” – the show announced the addition of three new correspondents to The Best F*&#ing News Team Ever. Ronny Chieng, Desi Lydic and Roy Wood Jr. will join the team when Noah makes his debut as host on Monday, September 28.
“I’m so excited to welcome these new members of the Daily Show Team. Now I get to share my stress with other new people,” Noah said in today’s announcement. The team’s existing roster of talent, including Jordan Klepper, Hasan Minhaj, Jessica Williams, Lewis Black, John Hodgman, Al Madrigal, Aasif Mandvi and Kristen Schaal.
Bios from Comedy Central announcement:
RONNY CHIENG: Born in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, and raised in Manchester, NH and Singapore, stand-up comedian and actor Ronny Chieng has been a rising star on the comedy scene in Australia where he moved to attend the University of Melbourne. Embarking on a stand-up comedy career after graduating with a degree in commerce and a degree in law, Chieng’s career began to take off in 2012 when he was named one of the “Top 10 Rising Comedians in Australia” by The Age, the Herald Sun and The Sydney Morning Herald and received the “Best Newcomer” award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for his debut stand-up special, “The Ron Way.”
Since then, Chieng has continued his meteoric rise, performing sold-out tours in Australia and appearing at numerous international comedy festivals, including the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the New Zealand International Comedy Festival. Last year, Chieng won the “Directors’ Choice” award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and “Best Show” at the Sydney Comedy Festival. He has appeared in and performed on numerous TV shows in his adopted home of Australia and has opened for both Dave Chappelle (2014) and Bill Burr (2015) during their nationwide stand-up tours in Australia. Earlier this year Chieng made his US television debut on “The Late Late Show.” Chieng is repped by Century Entertainment Australia and APA.
DESI LYDIC: is a professionally trained and seasoned improvisational and comedic actress who studied and performed at The Groundlings and Improv Olympic. Most recently, she had a starring role on MTV’s hit comedy series “Awkward.” Lydic’s feature film credits include Cameron Crowe’s “We Bought A Zoo” opposite Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson and “The Babymakers” directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and opposite Olivia Munn. Other television credits include “Two and a Half Men” (CBS), “The Odd Couple” (CBS) and “The League” (FX). Lydic is repped by UTA, Underground and attorney is Stone, Meyer, et al.
ROY WOOD JR: A native of Birmingham, AL, Roy Wood Jr. began his comedy career in 1998 at the age of 19 while attending Florida A&M University. Wood’s thought-provoking comedy crosses cultural lines and has entertained millions nationwide via stage, radio and television. In 2006, he appeared in the “New Faces Showcase” at the Montreal Just for Laughs
Comedy Festival and made his network television debut on “The Late Show with David Letterman” the same year. Wood most recently starred on “Sullivan and Son” (TBS) and regularly appears on “Conan” and ESPN’s “SportsNation.” Wood’s stand-up album, “Things I Think, I Think,” was released in 2013.
No stranger to Comedy Central, Wood was one of ten national finalists in Comedy Central’s 2002 “Laugh Riots” competition, has been featured on its “Premium Blend” stand-up series and is a regular guest on the current late-night hit “@midnight.” He has also appeared on “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” “The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam” and finished third in the 2010 season of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” Wood is repped by UTA and MacDonald Entertainment.
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