Samantha Bee ‘Very Zen’ About Not Being Offered ‘Daily Show’ Host Gig
Samantha Bee is crushing late night on her TBS series Full Frontal, but the comedian can’t escape questions about The Daily Show – namely, if she feels resentment about not being offered the hosting spot after Jon Stewart’s August 2015 departure. “I am very zen about it,” Bee recently told Katie Couric.
“When Jon announced that he was leaving, we were like, ‘Oh, please pick up The Detour. Come on, TBS!” Bee said, referencing the comedy series she executive-produces with husband/fellow ex-Daily Show correspondent Jason Jones. “And they did. Then they swooped in with the offer to do my own show, and I immediately jumped on it. So it all worked out for me.”
The Toronto native cited the insane presidential election cycle as a comedic gift during Full Frontal‘s debut season, noting her love of lampooning GOP candidate Ted Cruz. One highlight was incorporating a YouTube video of the politician acting in a 1992 Harvard production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. “If I’m feeling down, all I have to do is watch Ted Cruz in The Crucible, and my spirits lift,” she said. “He didn’t know that that performance would resonate through the ages in that way and bring joy to so many people – so many tens of people in my office.”
Bee also talked about her fondest Daily Show memories, which include her many hilarious outings to the Republican National Convention. “I couldn’t believe that I could just walk in,” she said. “And you’d put a camera in someone’s face, and everyone talks to you. They really believe you’re someone.”