Jessica Williams leaving ‘The Daily Show’ for new Comedy Central series

Fans of “The Daily Show” lost another connection to the Jon Stewart era with news that correspondent Jessica Williams will be departing the show to work on a new scripted series for the same network, Comedy Central.

The network confirmed her departure on Twitter on Wednesday morning:

Williams, who joined “The Daily Show” in 2012 at just 22 years old and was the first black woman to serve as one of the show’s fake-news correspondents, quickly became a fan favorite, to the point that her name was bandied about online as a potential replacement for Stewart when he retired from the show in 2015.

She responded on Twitter with gratitude but believed she wasn’t right for the job, writing, “At this age (25) if something happens politically that I don’t agree with, I need to go to my room & like not come out for, like, 7 days.”

Williams had remained busy with projects in addition to her “Daily Show” appearances, including “2 Dope Queens” a WNYC podcast with fellow comic Phoebe Robinson. In March, Williams signed a development deal with Comedy Central, which led to the new pilot. Williams also will serve as executive producer for the show, with writing help from Naomi Ekperigin, a comic and contributor to “Broad City.”

Williams’ last episode with “The Daily Show” is scheduled for Thursday. She joins a high-profile list of former “Daily Show” correspondents who have gone on to their own TV series since leaving the show, including HBO’s John Oliver, Samantha Bee on TBS and host of CBS’ “The Late Show,” Stephen Colbert.

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