John Oliver, a satirical news correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, will be leaving the show to star in a weekly comedy news series on HBO beginning next year, the US premium cable network said on Thursday.
HBO, a unit of Time Warner Inc, said the show will air on Sunday nights and be a satire of topical news and politics. The network did not announce a start date.
The British comedian, best known for his wit on politics and current events, won over HBO with his performance as a fill-in host this summer for Jon Stewart on the Comedy Central programme, said Michael Lombardo, HBO’s president of programming.
“We weren’t otherwise searching for another weekly talk show, but when we saw John Oliver handling host duties on The Daily Show, we knew that his singular perspective and distinct voice belonged on HBO,” Lombardo said in a statement. “We are extremely excited that John has agreed to make HBO his home.” Oliver, 36, joined The Daily Show in 2006 and has shared three Emmy awards as a writer on the programme that helped launch careers of comedians Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert.
“I’m incredibly excited to be joining HBO, especially as I presume this means I get free HBO now,” Oliver said jokingly in a statement.
Oliver’s final day on The Daily Show was not announced.
Comedy Central is owned by Viacom.
