Noble Noah

Scott Hardie | May 1, 2020
As The Daily Show does like so many other talk shows and comedy shows right now, and finds a way to produce the show from its host's living room, it has been reported that Trevor Noah is paying the salaries of 25 furloughed staff members. That's awesome. Noah is very generous.

But... Why is this necessary? Isn't the point of continuing to do the show in these less-than-ideal circumstances to continue making money? Advertisers still need to market their products, the channel still needs new episodes to air, and the staff members still need to earn income, so everything financially should be the same even if the audience has to see Noah in his living room. This isn't like a restaurant furloughing its wait staff while its skeleton-crew kitchen staff fulfill curbside orders just to keep the business barely afloat. The Daily Show is doing very well: According to that article, it's #1 in the ratings and being expanded in running time. So why isn't it paying the staff members whose labor isn't needed right now? If it's just on principle, the show has shittier principles than its lofty liberal rhetoric on the air.

Maybe I'm missing something?

Erik Bates | May 1, 2020
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