Why Jessica Williams Shouldn’t Take Herself Out of “The Daily Show” Running
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As soon as Jon Stewart announced that he’d be stepping down as host of The Daily Show, the Internet filled with names of possible successors. We’ve been through this a lot lately, as old white men like Stephen Colbert, David Letterman, Craig Ferguson, and Jay Leno, have decamped from their positions. Each time, a compassionate group let their voice be heard: it’s time to give a woman one of the most prominent placements on television. It still hasn’t happened. But Jessica Williams, a beloved correspondent on Stewart’s show, sounds to us like a seamless fit to take over for her boss (Colbert started as a correspondent on The Daily Show before taking the helm at his own). The only problem? She doesn’t want it.
On Sunday, the 25-year-old effectively removed herself from the running for the top job. Taking to Twitter, she told her nearly 100,000 followers that, at her age, she’s not mature enough: “Fact 1: I’m not hosting. Thank you but I am extremely under-qualified for the job!” But age shouldn’t deter Williams from pursuing the post. She’s in a unique position that has her, as a 20-something, being grouped together with peers (granted, with much longer resumés and life experience) like Chelsea Handler, Joel McHale, Kristen Schaal, and more. Sure it’s flattering, but it also places a lot of responsibility on Williams. Throughout her tenure on The Daily Show, she’s tackled issues not only pertinent to Millennials, but her opinions offer insight as to how her generation understands these matters. Williams’ attitudes on feminism, reproductive rights, race, and rape, to name a few, have communicated with audiences of all ages through humor and intelligence, much in the same way her boss has for the past 16 years.
Young people have risen to powerful platforms (possibly before their appropriate time) with aplomb and embraced their potential to speak to millions. Evan Spiegel, the creator of Snapchat, is 24; Bethany Mota, 19, has more than 8 million subscribers on YouTube and recently sat down to talk shop with President Obama; 18-year-old Saira Blair, a West Virginia University freshman is the youngest state lawmaker in the nation. So many young people have risen not in spite of their age but because of it. The decisions made now will most heavily impact those under 30, so why shouldn’t we have a voice in the mix? Williams has never backed down from a tough question before — and she shouldn’t now.
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