Trevor Noah announces his departure from 'The Daily Show'

Comedian Trevor Noah announced in a preview of Thursday's show that he was leaving Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" after seven years.

The late night show released a video clip from Noah's monologue prior to the episode's airing late Thursday.

Noah started off by saying that he had been thinking over his time on the show and was grateful for it.

"The journey we have been on together has been wild," Noah said, acknowledging that many producers and correspondents were responsible for making the show happen every night. "And I want to say thank you to the audience, for an amazing seven years, it's been wild. It's been truly wild."

"I remember when we first started... so many people didn't believe in us, it was a crazy bet to make, I mean, I still think it was a crazy choice... what a journey it's been," he continued after applause.

"I just found myself filled with gratitude for the journey," Noah explained as he recalled the numerous events that had occurred during his time on the show.

"I realized that after the seven years, my time is up," he said, followed by gasps from some members of the audience. "Yeah, but in the most beautiful way, honestly. I've loved hosting this show. It's been one of my greatest challenges, it's been one of my greatest joys, I've loved trying to figure out how to make people laugh even when the stories are particularly s***y on the worst days. You know, we've laughed together, we've cried together."

"But after seven years, I feel like it's time," he added, noting that he missed traveling for stand-up comedy and wanted to return to that.

"I've never been good at goodbyes," Noah concluded. "It's not instant, I'm not disappearing, don't worry. If I owe you money, I'll still pay you."

He noted that the exact time of his departure had not yet been determined.