Samantha Bee leaving "The Daily Show" to host TBS series
The exodus continues at "The Daily Show."
TBS is giving longtime correspondent Samantha Bee her own topical comedy show, the network announced Thursday.
The unnamed show, which is in the early stages of development, will allow Bee to "apply her smart and satirical point of view to current and relevant issues," TBS said. She will be host and executive producer. No start date was given.
TBS had only recently announced it was picking up a scripted comedy series created by Bee and her husband, Jason Jones, also from "The Daily Show."
"Like her fans around the country, we absolutely adore everything about Sam, from her straight-faced sarcasm and ruthless wit to her uncanny ability to mine comedy gold from just about any awkward situation," Brett Weitz, executive vice president of original programming for TBS, said in a statement announcing the news. "After watching Sam's work for years, we knew that her distinctive humor and talent belong at the front of her own show."
Bee's departure crosses one more name off the list of potential successors to Jon Stewart, who is leaving as host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" later this year.
Other alumni members of the show, John Oliver and Larry Wilmore, have launched their own shows - with Oliver's "Last Week Tonight" recently getting picked up for two more seasons on HBO.