Comedy Central names Stephen Colbert's replacement

The not-long wait is over: The post-Daily Show slot on Comedy Central that is being vacated by The Colbert Report will be filled by The Daily Show‘s Larry Wilmore, who has been named as host of The Minority Report With Larry Wilmore.

The Minority Report is slated to begin airing weeknights at 11:30 p.m. in January as Stephen Colbert exits the network in December before taking over for David Letterman on CBS’ The Late Show next year. The series, which was created by Daily Show host Jon Stewart, aims to be “a comedic look at news, current events and pop culture from unique perspectives not typically on display in late night television,” the network said in a statement, adding that it will “feature a diverse panel of voices currently underrepresented in comedy and television.”

Wilmore, 52, joined The Daily Show in 2006 and is currently the series’ “Senior Black Correspondent,” handling many of the show’s cutting commentaries on race. His acting credits include Dinner for Schmucks, Happy Endings, and The Office, though he has also made his name behind the camera, where he co-created Fox comedies The Bernie Mac Show and The PJs. In addition, he has written for shows including In Living Color, The Jamie Foxx Show, and The Office, on which he served as a consulting producer. Wilmore also has been working as the executive producer and showrunner of Black-ish, a comedy pilot starring Anthony Anderson that ABC just ordered as a series. (Wilmore is planning to remain with Black-ish until a succession plan is determined.)

“While Larry Wilmore is a brilliant comic and showrunner, this is all just a complicated ruse to get him to move to New York and turn him into a Knicks fan,” Stewart said in the statement, while Wilmore said: “I’m beyond excited to have this chance to continue my relationships with Comedy Central and the brilliant Jon Stewart. I love the city of New York and promise to only wear my Laker t-shirts when I’m layering.”