CBS This Morning co-host Charlie Rose on Thursday created a painfully awkward moment when he assumed that liberal Daily Show host Trevor Noah had been fired. Talking to comic John Oliver, formally of Comedy Central, Rose wondered if Oliver has “some sadness at what happened at Comedy Central?”
The confused comedian wasn’t following, so Rose added, “The two people who succeeded, both Jon [Stewart] and Stephen [Colbert], are no longer going to be there.” A baffled Oliver responded, “The two people? Larry [Wilmore]? Who else is gone?”
The CBS co-host looked around for help and plowed forward: “Am I misunderstanding? I thought Trevor was going?” Still confused, but trying to follow, Oliver joked, “Unless you are firing him live on TV which is an amazing scoop. Please don't fire me in real-time as well.”
The HBO host corrected, “No, Trevor is still going.” After an awkward pause, CBS co-host Gayle King changed the subject. Later, as they were about to go to break, Rose tried to correct the mix-up:
ROSE: And we are thrilled that Trevor is still there.
OLIVER: Oh, you're giving him his life back? Well, what a roller coaster for him this morning!
Perhaps the liberal Rose knows something about the liberal Trevor Noah that the rest of America doesn’t. Ratings for Noah’s version of the Daily Show have been low, even as he continues to bash conservatives.
A transcript of the exchange follows:
CBS TM
9/22/16
8:38ROSE: You have some sadness what happened at Comedy Central?
OLIVER: In what? In terms of —
ROSE: The two people who succeeded, both Jon and Stephen, are no longer going to be there.
OLIVER: [Thoroughly confused.] The two people? Larry?
ROSE: Yeah, Larry Wilmore.
OLIVER: Who else is gone?
ROSE: Did I — Am I misunderstanding? I thought Trevor was going?
OLIVER: I think — Unless you are firing him live on TV which is an amazing scoop. Please don't fire me in real-time as well.
O’DONNELL: We will invite you back.
OLIVER: [Does the “Gladiator” thumbs down.] This really is like Charlie saying, “Trevor, you are gone.”
ROSE: No, he's not? He's not. He’s not. Larry.
OLIVER: No, Trevor is still going. Larry is gone which is very sad but TV shows go. They did a great job.
ROSE: Yeah. Yeah.
[Awkward pause.]
KING: I’m thinking about your Emmy win, John.
...
8:40
[As they are going to commercial break.]
ROSE: And we are thrilled that Trevor is still there.
OLIVER: Oh, you’re giving him his life back? Well, what a roller coaster for him this morning!
