A Hot Tub Time Machine 2 cameo just added a new dimension to the debate over who will host The Daily Show once Jon Stewart leaves.
Jessica Williams, a fan-favorite Daily Show correspondent, quickly rose toward the top of everyone’s wishlists as soon as word of Stewart's decision hit the Internet. Now, in addition to our support, Williams can also count on America's habit of taking everything that Hollywood predicts about the future at face value.
Mike Ryan at Uproxx, who has seen Hot Tub Time Machine 2, was the first to tell the Internet about Williams’ role in the film—and how lucky the movie was with its characterization. In fact, the timing was so perfect that people weren't so quick to believe him.
Soon enough, Ryan got his hands on the footage, which you can watch over at Uproxx. In the 48-second clip, we learn plenty about the year 2025, which is where Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke’s characters travel to in their hot tub time machine. They arrive on Mar. 26, 2025, if you want to be precise—so mark your calendars.The Daily Show with Jessica Williams has a nice ring to it, for sure. She plays herself sitting behind Stewart’s desk. She’s cool, she’s collected, and she’s totally got this.
It’s a future where Neil Patrick Harris is president (something else we can get behind), Dame Jennifer Lawrence is playing Meryl Streep in a biopic, and there’s still racial tension in the country—though it's not just a human issue anymore. Sure, Lawrence can't actually become a Dame (only an honorary one), since she’s not a British citizen right now, but that's only a minor detail in this far-off future we’re already picturing.We don’t have any additional information about Williams' cameo. At some point in the film, the characters end up on Choozy Doozy, a game show set in the future (and briefly seen advertised in the Daily Show clip), but we’re guessing that this might be Williams’ only appearance.The cameo was filmed months—perhaps even more than a year—in advance, and Hot Tub Time Machine 2 producer Paramount Pictures likely had to get permission to use The Daily Show name and logo in the film. Even if Stewart knew he was leaving that far back, the scene’s timeliness today is likely just a huge coincidence.
In the event that Williams doesn't get the job—perhaps being passed over for another white guy—fear not about this potential future going up in flames. There are more than 10 years until the date in Hot Tub Time Machine 2, and a lot can happen in a decade. The next host could leave by then, potentially allowing Williams a second chance at taking over the show.
Williams is only 25—the youngest correspondent in The Daily Show’s history—which her critics consider a strike against her. By Mar. 26, 2025, however, she’ll be 35—only two years younger than Stewart was when he took over The Daily Show. Williams will continue to shine no matter who gets the job, but we're sure she'd succeed in the host's chair whether in late 2015 now or 10 years from now.
H/T Uproxx | Screengrab via Hot Tub Time Machine 2