While there was widespread speculation that Amy Schumer was being considered to replace Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show,” the TV and soon-to-be film star has now revealed why she declined the offer from Comedy Central.
“I was so honored to be asked and considered. With Comedy Central, I project so much ‘You’re my parents!’ on the network and the people that run it, so them saying, ‘We believe in you and trust that you can do this,’ I thought, ‘Oh my god, thank you,’” Schumer told The Daily Beast.
However, Schumer balked at the prospect of committing to the show for five years, as Comedy Central wanted. “And then I thought, ‘Well, I could give everyone I love a job and we could all be together for five years,’” Schumer said.
“But picturing being in a building and knowing what I was going to do for five years–I love not knowing. And I’ve never done anything safe or to make money for that reason. So, you know, I said, ‘I can’t start now,’” she concluded.
Schumer also spoke about the offer in a subsequent interview on “The Howard Stern Show.” “I think if I heard I was hosting ‘The Daily Show,’ I’d be like ‘Oh, give me a f—ing break,’” she said.
She also revealed she spent some time with Jon Stewart when the offer was on the table. “We had a piece of pizza and talked about the possibility of me hosting,” she said.
Schumer currently appears on her own hit sketch show for the network, “Inside Amy Schumer.” The show has received widespread praise for its humorous tackling of women’s issues like ageism, sexism, and standards of beauty.
Schumer is also set to headline her first feature film. She will appear in “Trainwreck,” a movie about a female magazine writer who reexamines her bachelorette lifestyle after she meets a charming sports doctor (Bill Hader). The Judd Apatow-directed film opens in theaters July 17.
