Photo by Nicol Biesek
This Is Not Happening will apparently no longer be hosted by the show’s creator Ari Shaffir as the beloved comic storytelling series, which airs on Comedy Central, has just named Roy Wood Jr. as the original host’s successor. No official statement has surfaced regarding Shaffir’s exit, though it appears the comedian, who just announced his double comedy special release on Netflix, left the series amicably.
Wood, known primarily as a correspondent on The Daily Show, will now carry the show through its fourth season, slated to hit Comedy Central this fall. Among the many comedians scheduled to perform in Season 4 are Louie Anderson, Sandra Bernhard, Tommy Chong, Drew Carey, Tiffany Haddish, Lil Rel Howery, Darrell Hammond, Talib Kweli, Howie Mandel, Al Madrigal, Scott Thompson, Kevin Smith, Kyle Kinane, Joey Diaz, Ralphie May, Michael McDonald, Jim Norton, Jay Oakerson, Tom Segura, Ali Siddiq, Carrot Top and more.
Due to his reliably funny contributions to The Daily Show, Wood’s popularity with fans of the political satire show has grown at a rapid pace since his joining the team back in 2015. Prior to his role as a correspondent, he placed third in Season 7 of Last Comic Standing, he hosted The Roy Wood Jr Show and he was a series regular on TBS’ Sullivan & Son. He debuted his first hour-long special Father Figure on Comedy Central on Feb. 19 and has subsequently been touring his hilarious stand-up act across the U.S. (see our review of his Chicago show here) ever since.
“Long form story telling is a hilarious, beautiful and essential performance medium,” Wood tweeted on Friday. “I am honored to continue on with what Ari Shaffir built.”
Wood is set to film 20 new episodes of This Is Not Happening in front of a live audience at Cheetahs in Hollywood on June 4-7 and June 19-22 at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Those interested in attending one of the show’s free live tapings can request tickets here.