“The Daily Show” released a slew of never-before-seen audition tapes from past and present correspondents in a 10-minute compilation posted to YouTube.
The video, honoring the satirical news program’s 30th anniversary, features audition tapes from all five current rotating hosts, many of whom are seen in the footage bantering with either Jon Stewart or Trevor Noah, depending on when they first joined the show.
Some of the auditions are presented like correspondent segments, with Jordan Klepper, for example, wearing a suit and riffing with Stewart in front of a green screen showing Washington, D.C. Others are more casual, with Desi Lydic seemingly talking to a producer reading a script off-screen.
A fresh-faced John Oliver, who joined “The Daily Show” in 2006, is seen joking around with Stewart before the audition starts. “Now, if you do come work for us, you know you can’t use the name John,” Stewart tells Oliver, who quips back, “That’s fine. I’m prepared for that. I was going to take ‘Rico.'”
The auditions also include Samantha Bee, who served as a correspondent from 2003 to 2015 before leaving to host her own show, “Full Frontal,” and Michael Che, who was on “The Daily Show” for three months before departing for “Saturday Night Live.”
Jessica Williams, Roy Wood Jr., Rob Riggle, Jason Jones and Wyatt Cenac are also featured. And, in 2002, Ed Helms and Rob Corddry are seen performing the same bit, about changes being made to Winter Olympic sports.