The South African comedian Trevor Noah is reportedly paying the salaries of 25 staffers of his The Daily Show who have been furloughed because of the Covid-19 shutdown of America's TV industry.
Variety reports that Trevor Noah is paying the monthly salaries of 25 members of The Daily Show on Comedy Central (DStv 122) out of his own money.
He reportedly told staffers that he will continue to personally pay their salaries until The Daily Show returns to normal production from its New York studio.
"These are the people who have been on the show with Trevor from day one and help him put on the show," a source told the trade publication, saying "Trevor is personally covering their salaries until the production business opens again. He respects his crew tremendously and feels it’s only right that they get thru this together."
This week the temporarily renamed The Daily Social Distancing Show was expanded from a half hour to a 45 minute show.
The Daily Show is broadcast in the United States from Mondays to Thursdays and seen a day later in South Africa and across sub-Saharan Africa from Tuesdays to Fridays at 22:30 on the African channel feed of ViacomCBS Networks Africa's Comedy Central (DStv 122).
It will be the first time in the 24-year history of The Daily Show that episodes will be longer says Comedy Central in a statement.
"The news of supersized Daily Show episodes comes at a moment in time when viewers are heading to host Trevor Noah not just for satire and escapism, but also for an honest point of view and as a source of trustworthy information."
This week is the 6th week of "The Daily Social Distancing Show" that Trevor Noah now anchors from his home without the help of a live audience or the New York-based studio. The show has seen linear TV ratings rise as well as digital gains over the last month.
