Speaking after coming off stage from a comedy show in London on his 30th birthday, Chieng said he was looking forward to the opportunity. "My phone is blowing up, in between this and the birthday wishes," he said. The new job came after the show, under its new South African host, contacted him to submit an audition tape. He followed it up with a live studio audition with Noah in New York before heading to Edinburgh to perform at the Fringe. "It's pretty whirlwind," Chieng said. "I thought there would be a final audition but instead of getting details for the final audition, I got the job offer." Chieng was born in Malaysia, grew up in Singapore and studied at the University of Melbourne where he was heading towards being a commercial lawyer until he tried out for the annual campus comedy competition in his fifth year. Stepping on stage for the first time, he won and started thinking of himself as a comedian.

He is one of three new correspondents on The Late Show, joining actress Desi Lydic​, best known for the MTV comedy-drama series Awkward and the movie We Bought a Zoo, and actor, stand-up comic and radio personality Roy Wood Jr.​ He had been due return to Australia but will now join The Daily Show's list of correspondents who put together field pieces or commentary segments for the program. Chieng said he was not sure exactly what the brief would be yet. "I'm going to New York on Tuesday and that's where we kind of hammer out the show details I guess," he said. But he has been a fan of The Late Show since his university days. "I'm a fan of Jon Stewart just in the way any other university student in the mid-2000s would be. That's the demographic, right, when you're in university? ...

"In law school, we were all fans of Jon Stewart. I don't know any right-wing law students." Does he expect to bring much Australian content or perspective to the show? "I'm not Australian," Chieng said. "I have lived there for 10 years and I went to university there and I started comedy there so inevitably I bring a certain amount of expertise in Australianisms. I don't dare call myself a full-blown expert but I have a certain amount of knowledge about it. "But I started my comedy in Melbourne, Australia, so there's going to be a little bit of it every time I get on camera, every time I write a joke. So to answer your question: yes." Chieng has a thoughtful perspective on why he has succeeded as a comedian so quickly.

"Hopefully it's because I'm good at comedy," he said. "And, to be honest, it's a having a certain voice. "I'm from Malaysia: you can hear it in my voice and you can see it in my face. Having that unique perspective gets some people in the door. "But to keep them coming and to keep more people coming and to keep them telling their friends about your comedy, you have to be good at it, no matter what your race is, no matter what your selling point is, whatever your gimmick is." Chieng's publicist said the new job has meant having to cancel some shows and reschedule others on his planned Australian tour called You Don't Know What You're Talking About. Ticket holders are being contacted and will receive refunds for cancelled shows in Perth (October 9), Darwin (October 16), Geelong (October 22), Bendigo (October 23), Newcastle (October 31) and Brisbane (November 7).

Chieng will still perform in Canberra (October 29), Chatswood (October 30) and Sydney's Enmore Theatre (November 19, rescheduled from September 25). Watch him riff on the dangers of watching a Kanye West music video at the Melbourne Comedy Festival last year.