Josh Johnson Takes ‘The Daily Show’ Host Gig While Riding Viral Wave For Healing Men’s Loneliness

Josh Johnson slides behind the host’s desk for the The Daily Show this week, a first for the comedian who’s been a correspondent for the Comedy Central late night show for more than a year after joining the writing staff in 2017.

The timing is serendipitous for Johnson, whose comedic fast lane accelerated yet again last month when a YouTube clip of a recent tour stop went viral for his quick-witted take on loneliness among men.

Fueled by the popular TikTok trend where men call their male friends to say goodnight, and curious about a social media post he’d stumbled on where one guy shared how uncomfortable he felt when his buddy invited him to see a movie, Johnson last month delivered a stand-up set to a live audience that emphasized the importance of men letting down their guard and checking on each other.

Between bits about the awkward male hug and even more awkward attempts by men to accept help or simply converse are profound gems that sent the subsequent extended clip soaring.

“I think one of the reasons we see a lot of men struggling is that being together in fellowship is sorely lacking because of a specific type of attitude,” Johnson shares. “I knew I was onto something by the reaction I was getting from the people at the show, I just didn’t realize it would resonate so much online. There are whole corners of the Internet that will have you thinking the world is a specific way and I was trying to relate what I’ve seen in the world to what I think could fix that thing. And it turned out that echoed with other people. I’m thankful I was on the right track with it.”

And really, who better than Johnson to put men’s mental health in the spotlight? A brilliant chronicler of culture, he’s built his career on finding humor in places of division and delivering it with a spoonful of comedic sugar.

The TikTok trend “is obviously funny because it’s an uncomfortable thing for some people. But it is calling a thing out in its own right and that is… Is someone checking up on you, is someone taking care of you and is someone being there for you? This is off-putting for a lot of men, but as a human you have to do that sort of thing,” he says.

“Whether it’s an unspoken rule or it’s rhetoric we grow up with, when you go from a boy to a man instead of gaining a bunch of tools on how to operate through life better, you’re supposed to lose a bunch of things. You’re supposed to lose a sense of fellowship, you’re supposed to lose your genuine joy for being around people you love.”

“Sometimes the word toxic is overused, but sometimes there’s no other way to describe something that is making you sick. And I think having an approach to life that isolates you and keeps you separate from the people who care about you is a thing that makes you sick. It stuck out to me as more than a little prank. It was scratching something much deeper.”

For his part, Johnson says he’s fortunate to have a longstanding friend group of guys who are “healthy and close and check in on each other and just care.” While they’re not hitting each other up all the time, random calls or texts are par for the course.

“And if you’re doing well, great, thumbs up will do. But if you’re not doing well someone’s opened the door for you to share that, with no shame and no judgment. People are willing to open up when they know there are people to open up to and I think that’s helped me stay pretty grounded and healthy and I wish everyone had that.”

The grounding has been critical as Johnson navigates his escalating career.

“What you see on YouTube, what you see on TV – I am doing these things all the time. I’m applying everything I’ve seen in life. Whenever I’m touring, whenever I’m catching up with friends, I do my best to make memories there and all those things also serve the general work. All the things that I do that stress me out contribute to it, and all the things I do for fun contribute to it. It does feel like I’m working all the time, but not in a bad way,” he says.

“When I get annoyed or a little stressed out I think… not only do I get to tell stories and write jokes for a living, but I get to experience it now with people who really care about the journey I’m on and check in on me and helped me build the life that I’m living. I’m enjoying it and that’s why I haven’t burned out.”

Lately, he’s also developed a fancy for helping settle his brain by toying with a classic pop culture phenom – the Rubik’s Cube.

“Honestly, some people are impressed and some people are, ‘That’s what you do with your time? OK…’” Johnson says with a laugh. “I think it helps with, if this makes sense… sometimes there is a problem that is hard to solve in the time you have in the present moment. But at least with the Cube, I know I can solve this in set amount of time and it’s a reminder that everything has a place and no problem is unsolvable.”

As he prepares to step under the Comedy Central lights, Johnson says he’s been getting some sage advice from The Daily Show statesman Jon Stewart and has been blown away by the support from his colleagues, fraternity of buddies and growing circle of fans.

“They’ve been very kind a gracious, and if anything it’s all been so much love, I don’t know what to do with it – which almost falls directly in line with what the set was about,” he says.

“But I’m very thankful to everybody who’s reached out and had kind words because I want to do a good job for everybody I work with. There’s no one story or one breaking news segment that’s going to help make a better show by itself. It’s leaning into my perspective and trusting that will lead me to have a successful week.”

So will we see a through line this week on The Daily Show of helping men learn to hug or sit at a table and talk about something other than sports?

“I’m going to hug as many people as possible,” Johnson says. “And we’ll see we where we land.”

Mind Reading (formerly Hollywood & Mind) is a recurring column that features interviews with musicians, actors, athletes, creators and other culture influencers who are elevating conversation and action around mental health, and breaking stigma.