Rory Albanese is stepping down as showrunner and executive producer of “The Daily Show” this week, a Comedy Central spokesman told TheWrap.
His exit comes as Albanese prepares to decamp for the West Coast, where he has signed a development deal with Warner Bros. TV. The first project under the pact is a CBS comedy set in a family-owned drug store.
A spokesman for Warner Bros. TV did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Also read: Jon Stewart to GOP: Own Government Shutdown, Don’t Fart and Blame the Dog (Video)
Albanese joined “The Daily Show” in 1999, as it was rebranding itself as a political satire show. He is also a stand-up comedian, who had a half-hour special that aired on Comedy Central in 2010, and co-authored “Earth The Book” with Jon Stewart and other writers from “The Daily Show.”
He shared in nine Emmy Award wins for his work as an executive producer and writer on “The Daily Show.”
According to Deadline, which broke the news, the program plans to promote a successor from within its ranks.
Tony Maglio contributed to this report.