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Noah, a self-described "citizen of the world" and the first non-American to host the original wing of the The Daily Show franchise, said he will embrace his outsider status as he covers well-tread domestic traditions such as the very lengthy presidential primary process (so far, he's a Rand Paul fan, but executive producer Steve Bodow has warned him those feelings will soon subside). As if on cue, the assembled reporters got to see Noah react to the breaking reports that Speaker of the House John Boehner will resign from Congress next month. "But that's sad—I liked him," Noah said when the tittering studio quieted down. "He always cried. He was in touch with his emotions."When pressed for further response, Noah said he needed time to process the news. "This would have broken in the [writers'] room and then we would sit around and then we would discuss and then we would look at how to approach," he said. "I'm a big fan of thinking [pause] before I see or react to anything." This seemed to be a tongue-in-cheek reference to March's brouhaha surrounding a handful of ill-advised tweets Noah made about Israel and "fat chicks" years before landing his new post. He responded via Twitter, "To reduce my views to a handful of jokes that didn't land is not a true reflection of my character, nor my evolution as a comedian."Related: The Many Tongues of Trevor Noah
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The press gathering was also an opportunity to tour the new Daily Show set, complete with a touch-screen television, added floor space for musical performances, a celestial motif on the ceiling, and a door hidden in the paneling. According to Ganeless, another addition to the show will come from comedian and How to Be Black author Baratunde Thurston, who has been hired to oversee a new Daily Show team responsible for creating unique social-media content. "It will enable us to have a conversation with the viewers beyond 11 o'clock," Ganeless told reporters.Besides the veteran producers, Noah will be joined by a total of seven correspondents from "the best fucking news team ever," a group that features four returning personalities (Jordan Klepper, Jessica Williams, Hasan Minhaj, and Al Madrigal) and three newbies.Desi Lydic, who is expecting a son in December, is a veteran improviser (The Groundlings, iO West) who spent five years on the MTV series Awkward. "My inspiration, character-wise, is the Megyn Kellys of the world, the Fox News blondes," she said, adding that though she and Williams are the two sole women in the cast, the breadth of females on staff ensure "a really strong female presence on the show."I look at The Daily Show as a beautiful house that I have inherited. –Trevor Noah
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