Mike Rowe revealed on Thursday the one dirty job he couldn’t get: host of “The Daily Show.”
Responding to a fan on Facebook asking him how he deals with rejection, the “Dirty Jobs” host posted a picture of himself crying and holding a rejection letter from Comedy Central that explained he would not be the host of the show.
“When ‘The Daily Show’ was first conceived, Comedy Central spent a year looking for the right host,” Rowe explained. “The audition process was extensive, and when the dust settled, it came down to two — Craig Kilborn and me. The job went to Craig, and I was crushed.”
And the TV personality even took another stab at the opportunity when Kilborn left the show in 1998. “This time, I wasn’t going to let it get away. I did the very best job I could, and all modesty aside, I killed it,” he wrote.
“Afterwards, I was told by the producers and writers that I was about to become the new host of ‘The Daily Show,’ unless — by some miracle — Comedy Central were to suddenly cough up the kind of money that could entice a proven entity like Dennis Miller or Jon Stewart,” he continued.
It’s impossible to know how things would have been different had they gone with him over Kilborn or Stewart, but Rowe isn’t sweating it.
“It was a critical step in a long series of failures that got me to the sewer, where my redemption awaited, and a new level of job satisfaction that I frankly, never imagined,” Rowe wrote.
Jon Stewart's 'Daily Show' Replacement? 13 Funny, Topical and Talented Picks (Photos)
JEFFREY ROSS Dubbed Comedy Central's Roastmaster General, Jeffrey Ross is one of the wittiest stand-up comedians around. He's best known for his stinging insults, but the 49-year-old is intelligent enough to dish on a daily dose of news.
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KRISTEN SCHAAL Often Billed "The Daily Show's" Senior Women's Issues Correspondent, Schaal has been contributing to Comedy Central's flagship satirical news program since 2008.
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AZIZ ANSARI He's young, charming and has a huge following. Comedy Central has aired several of his stand-up specials, but would they give the "Parks and Recreation" star a chance behind the anchor desk?
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JOHN MULANEY The "Saturday Night Live" veteran is a prolific stand-up comedian as well as the star and creator of his own Fox sitcom, appropriately titled "Mulaney."
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LEWIS BLACK The veteran standup has been delivering his own uniquely aggressive brand of news on "The Daily Show" for even longer than Stewart. His bold, abrasive recurring segment "Back in Black" originated in 1996 when Craig Kilborn hosted the program.
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JOEL MCHALE McHale has been "The Soup's" hilarious host since 2004, so he certainly has the chops for a satirical series. But his E! show airs weekly, making "The Daily Show" a decidedly more demanding commitment for the busy actor, who also stars on "Community."
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CRAIG KILBORN Craig Kilborn hosted "The Daily Show's" first three years before Jon Stewart was even a twinkle in Comedy Central's eye -- who's to say he couldn't retake the reins? Sadly, sources tell TheWrap it's not in the cards.
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PAUL F. TOMPKINS Could Tompkins be "The Daily Show's" first ever mustachioed news anchor? His resume includes topical comedy shows like "Real Time With Bill Maher," "Best Week Ever" and "Comedy Bang! Bang!" and he also has his own critically adored podcast, "The Pod F. Tompkast."
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DANIEL TOSH Between "Tosh.0" and "Brickleberry," it's clear Comedy Central and Daniel Tosh have a good working relationship. But is the controversial comedian up to tackling daily news?
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CHELSEA HANDLER The late night landscape is pretty devoid of a female presence right now, but maybe Comedy Central will take a close look at Handler, who finished her run on E!'s "Chelsea Lately" in August.
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CRAIG FERGUSON Craig Ferguson ended his nine-year run behind the desk at CBS's "Late Late Show" in December, so there's a good chance he's available. But is he willing to step back into the treacherous waters of late night so soon?
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BRIAN WILLIAMS Why not Williams? The NBC News anchor was suspended for six months just minutes after Stewart dropped the bomb. Maybe he wants to try satire?
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Following the Comedy Central host’s announced departure on Tuesday’s episode, TheWrap offers up its recommendations to fill the satirist’s seat