Wanda Sykes makes it look easy. On Monday night, the comedian grabbed the baton from Leslie Jones and began her week-long gig as the host of The Daily Show, filling in as Comedy Central brass continues looking for a new permanent host in the wake of Trevor Noah’s surprise departure. For Sykes, the first day on the job was all about acclimating to the well-honed and fast-paced clip of the show’s production. 

“They are a well-oiled machine here,” Sykes remarked in awe during a commercial break. Ostensibly, all she had to do was stroll in, sit behind the legendary desk, and do what she does best: tell jokes. 

In classic Daily Show fashion, the show’s Headlines segment ran the political gamut, from President Joe Biden’s current documents debacle to ex-president Donald Trump’s latest cringeworthy gaffe. The latter happened at the funeral of Diamond, of the conservative right-wing duo Diamond and Silk. Trump, who invited the duo to the White House and to his campaign events, gave an unreal eulogy at Diamond’s funeral, declaring he “didn’t know Silk at all. I just learned about Silk. You’re fantastic.”

“That’s like saying, ‘I know Bert, but I never heard of this Ernie fellow,’” Sykes quipped, laughing in disbelief at Trump’s remarks. “Knowing Trump, he probably only has room for one Black woman in his brain at a time. If he turns on the TV right now, he’ll be like, Wow, Diamond’s hosting the Daily Show.”

She then ran through a segment on the egregious oil and natural gas commercial that aired during a recent football game. After that, Sykes threw it to an interview with Daily Show correspondent Michael Kosta, the show’s resident overgrown bro who loves shilling for crypto and “the miracle liquid that is oil.” 

Sykes pivoted to the next segment, an emotional change of pace in which she acknowledged the 11 victims of the Monterey Park mass shooting. “We send our thoughts and prayers to the victims and the ones recovering,” she said. “And sadly, that’s all we do in this country because it only happens here.” The show then moved into a taped segment hosted by longtime correspondent Roy Wood Jr., who went to London and did a man-on-the-street interview asking people how they felt about America’s gun obsession. 

The segment, as insightful as it was hilarious, was yet another boon for Wood, who has been suggested as a potential next host of the show, though it’s unclear whether he’d be interested. Prior to the show’s taping, Wood came into the studio and chatted with the thrilled audience. He answered questions about the London segment, then riffed on the ridiculous M&M’s moral panic, which saw the candy company announce that it would retire a number of inclusive spokescandies (as the company calls them) after invoking the un-ironic ire of right-wing figures like Tucker Carlson. “They gotta pretend to be Skittles now,” Wood quipped of the jobless candies. His candor with the crowd, combined with the effortless London segment, made it easy to see how he would fare if he was given the permanent reins to the comedy institution. 

However, Sykes was the one in the hosting chair Monday night. For the legendary comedian, hosting the show was a layup, right in her wheelhouse of expertise. Prior to the Daily Show, Sykes held one of the most high-profile hosting gigs in the business, cohosting last year’s Academy Awards ceremony alongside Regina Hall and Amy Schumer. The trio made easy work of the typically thankless job, but then watched as Will Smith turned a dulcet night into a dramatic affair with the slap heard around the word. “I physically felt ill, and I’m still traumatized by it,” Sykes said of that moment in a post Oscars interview with Ellen DeGeneres. When asked in another interview if she’d ever host the ceremony again, Sykes‘s response was swift: “Oh, hell no.”

If her Monday night debut on The Daily Show is any indication, hosting the Comedy Central series permanently doesn’t seem to be on the comedian’s mind either. She came, handily did the job, thanked the audience, and then left, declining to answer audience questions or banter much during commercial breaks. (When Noah was host, his Between the Scenes segments became a charming regular feature of the show.)  If anything, Sykes was using the gig to remind people to tune in to her other show, the Netflix sitcom The Upshaws, currently nominated for two NAACP awards. This episode’s guest—Mike Epps, costar on The Upshaws—alluded as much to that. Sykes and Epps (who radiated a friendly and stoner-ish energy), had an easy rapport, gabbing cheerfully about the show and their respective careers. After Epps left the studio, Sykes made a quick joke to the audience. “I think I got a contact high from Mike,” she said. “I’m doing a Dry January thing…. Can he come back tomorrow?” 

After throwing to the show’s traditional closing bit—the moment of zen—Sykes left the studio, only to be whisked back into the well-oiled machine to prepare for the next day.