Trevor Noah (born 20 February 1984) is a South African comedian, television host, producer, writer, political commentator, and actor. He is the host of The Daily Show, an American satirical news program on Comedy Central.
Born in Johannesburg, Noah began his career as a comedian, television host, and actor in South Africa in 2002. He has since had several hosting roles with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and was the runner-up in the fourth season of South Africa’s iteration of Strictly Come Dancing in 2008. From 2010 to 2011, he hosted the late-night talk show Tonight with Trevor Noah, which he created and aired on M-Net and DStv.
Noah began appearing on American late-night talk shows and English panel shows. In 2014, he became the Senior International Correspondent for The Daily Show, and in 2015 succeeded long-time host Jon Stewart; he is set to remain in this position until 2022. His autobiographical comedy book Born a Crime was published in 2016 and acclaimed by critics.
Noah won various awards, including an MTV Africa Music Award and a Primetime Emmy Award from nine nominations. He was named one of “The 35 Most Powerful People in New York Media” by The Hollywood Reporter in 2017 and 2018. In 2018, Time magazine named him one of the hundred most influential people in the world.
Noah hosted the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards on 14 March 2021.
Early life
Trevor Noah was born on 20 February 1984 in Johannesburg, South Africa. His father, Robert, is of Swiss-German background, and his mother, Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah, is of Xhosa ancestry from Southern Africa. Noah has claimed that his mother converted to Judaism when he was 10 or 11 years old, although she did not have him convert.
Under apartheid legislation, Noah’s mother was classified as Black, and his father was classified as White. Noah himself was classified as Coloured. At the time of his birth, his parents’ interracial relationship was illegal under apartheid law, and Noah highlights this in his autobiography. Interracial sexual relations and marriages were not decriminalized until a year after Noah’s birth, when the Immorality Act was amended in 1985. Patricia and her mother, Nomalizo Frances Noah, raised Trevor in the black township of Soweto. Noah went to Maryvale College, a private Roman Catholic high school in Johannesburg.
Career
Noah performing on his Loud and Clear tour in February 2019
In 2002, 18-year-old Noah had a small role on an episode of the South African soap opera Isidingo. He later hosted his own radio show Noah’s Ark on Gauteng’s leading youth-radio station, YFM. Noah dropped his radio show and acting to focus on comedy, and has performed with South African comedians such as: David Kau, Kagiso Lediga, Riaad Moosa, Darren Simpson, Marc Lottering, Barry Hilton, and Nik Rabinowitz, international comedians such as Paul Rodriguez, Carl Barron, Dan Ilic, and Paul Zerdin, and as the opening act for American comedian Gabriel Iglesias in November 2007 and Canadian comedian Russell Peters on his South African tour.
Noah went on to host an educational TV programme, Run the Adventure (2004–2006) on SABC 2. In 2007, he hosted The Real Goboza, a gossip-themed show on SABC 1, and Siyadlala, a sports show also on the SABC. In 2008, Noah cohosted, alongside Pabi Moloi, The Amazing Date (a dating gameshow) and was a Strictly Come Dancing contestant in the fourth series. In 2009, he hosted the 3rd Annual South Africa Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) and co-hosted alongside Eugene Khoza on The Axe Sweet Life, a reality competition series. In 2010, Noah hosted the 16th annual South African Music Awards and also hosted Tonight with Trevor Noah on MNet (for the second series, it moved to DStv’s Mzansi Magic Channel). In 2010, Noah also became a spokesperson and consumer protection agent for Cell C, South Africa’s third-largest mobile phone network provider.
Noah has performed all over South Africa in The Blacks Only Comedy Show, the Heavyweight Comedy Jam, the Vodacom Campus Comedy Tour, the Cape Town International Comedy Festival, the Jozi Comedy Festival, and Bafunny Bafunny (2010). His stand-up comedy specials in South Africa include The Daywalker (2009), Crazy Normal (2011), That’s Racist (2012), and It’s My Culture (2013).
In 2011, he relocated to the United States. On 6 January 2012, Noah became the first South African stand-up comedian to appear on The Tonight Show; and, on 17 May 2013, he became the first to appear on Late Show with David Letterman. Noah was the subject of the 2012 documentary You Laugh But It’s True. The same year, he starred in the one-man comedy show Trevor Noah: The Racist, which was based on his similarly titled South African special That’s Racist. On 12 September, Noah was the Roastmaster in a Comedy Central Roast of South African Afrikaans singer Steve Hofmeyr. In 2013, he performed the comedy special Trevor Noah: African American. On 11 October 2013, he was a guest on BBC Two’s comedy panel show QI. On 29 November 2013, he was a panelist on Channel 4 game show 8 Out of 10 Cats and appeared on Sean Lock’s team in 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown on 12 September 2014.
The Daily Show
In December 2014, Noah became a recurring contributor on The Daily Show. On 30 March 2015, Comedy Central announced that Noah would succeed Jon Stewart as host of The Daily Show; his tenure began on 28 September 2015.
Within hours after he was announced as Stewart’s successor, attention was drawn on the Internet to jokes that Noah had posted on his Twitter account, some of which were criticised as being offensive to women, and others as antisemitic or to be mocking the Holocaust. Noah responded by tweeting: “To reduce my views to a handful of jokes that didn’t land is not a true reflection of my character, nor my evolution as a comedian.” Comedy Central stood behind Noah, saying in a statement, “Like many comedians, Trevor Noah pushes boundaries; he is provocative and spares no one, himself included… To judge him or his comedy based on a handful of jokes is unfair. Trevor is a talented comedian with a bright future at Comedy Central.” Mary Kluk, chairperson of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), said that the jokes were not signs of anti-Jewish prejudice and that they were part of Noah’s style of comedy. Noah has faced further criticism after video clips of Noah joking about Aboriginal women and the Marikana massacre in old standup routines resurfaced.
Noah’s debut received positive reviews. James Poniewozik of The New York Times praised Noah and the show’s writers, saying, “Mr. Noah’s debut was largely successful, it was also because of the operating system—the show’s writing—running under the surface”. Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times described Noah as “charming and composed—almost inevitably low-key compared with the habitually antic and astonished Stewart”. Noah’s success on the show has led to three stand-up specials on Comedy Central and Netflix.
On 14 September 2017, it was announced that Comedy Central had extended Noah’s contract as host of The Daily Show for five years, through 2022. He will also produce and host annual end-of-year specials for Comedy Central.
In April 2017, it was announced that Noah was developing a talk show for Jordan Klepper. In July 2017, the show’s title was revealed to be The Opposition with Jordan Klepper and premiered on 25 September 2017. On 15 June 2018, Comedy Central announced that it was canceling the show after one season, but that Klepper would be hosting a new primetime weekly docuseries, Klepper. The series premiered on 9 May 2019.
In February 2018, it was announced that Noah will be executive producing a show with Roy Wood Jr. titled Jefferson County: Probation. In March 2018, Noah signed a multiyear contract with Viacom that gives first-look rights to any future projects by Noah, be they television, feature films or short form video content. In addition to the deal, Noah will also be launching an international production and distribution company called Day Zero Productions.
Books
In January 2016, it was announced that Noah signed a book deal with Spiegel & Grau. His book, Born a Crime, was published on 15 November 2016 and was received favorably by major U.S. book reviewers. Besides the author, his mother has a central role in the book, while his European father is mentioned only occasionally. It became a #1 New York Times Bestseller and was named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, Newsday, Esquire, NPR, and Booklist. It was announced that a film adaptation based on the book will star Lupita Nyong’o as Trevor’s mother Patricia. She will also serve as the film’s co-producer alongside Noah.
In February 2018, it was announced that Noah would write a second book. In 2018, Noah and The Daily Show writing staff would release The Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library, a book comprising hundreds of Trump tweets and featuring a foreword by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham.
Other work
In 2017, he made an appearance on Nashville. In 2018, he also made appearances in Black Panther and American Vandal.
In November 2020, it was announced that Noah would host the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards on January 31, 2021, though this was later rescheduled to March 14, 2021.
In January 2021, it was announced that Noah would be developing an animated feature film at Paramount Animation.
Influence
Noah has said of his comedic influences, “The kings are indisputable. Richard Pryor, Cosby; for me personally I didn’t know of him before I started comedy but Eddie Murphy changed my view on the thing and I definitely look up to him as a comedic influence. Chris Rock in terms of the modern black comedian and Dave Chappelle. Those are the guys that have laid the foundation and have moved the yardstick for all comedians, not just Black comedians.” He also cited Jon Stewart as an influence and a mentor, following his appointment to succeed Stewart as host of The Daily Show. In an interview with The New York Times, Noah likened Stewart to “a Jewish Yoda” and recounted advice Stewart gave him, saying, “The most amazing thing that Jon did was he didn’t give me a mandate. He didn’t say, ‘You need to make my show.’ He specifically said: ‘Make your show. Make your best version of it.’ I apply those teachings of Jon’s to everything that I’m doing.”
Among comedians who say they were influenced by Noah are Michelle Wolf, Jordan Klepper, and Hasan Minhaj. Noah’s mixed-race ancestry, his experiences growing up in Soweto, and his observations about race and ethnicity are leading themes in his comedy.
Personal life
Noah is a polyglot. He speaks English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana, Tsonga, and some German.
In 1992, Noah’s mother, Patricia Nombuyiselo married Ngisaveni Abel Shingange; they had two sons together, Andrew and Isaac. Shingange physically abused both Trevor and his mother, and the couple legally divorced in 1996. In 2009, after Patricia married Sfiso Khoza, Shingange shot her in the leg and through the back of her head; she survived as the bullet went through the base of her head, avoiding the spinal cord, brain, and all major nerves and blood vessels, then exiting with minor damage to her nostril. When Noah confronted him over the phone about the shooting, Shingange threatened his life, prompting Noah to leave Johannesburg for Los Angeles. In 2011, Shingange was convicted of attempted murder, and sentenced the following year to three years of correctional supervision. Noah stated that he hoped the attention surrounding the incident would raise awareness of the broader issue of domestic violence in South Africa: “For years my mother reached out to police for help with domestic abuse, and nothing was ever done. This is the norm in South Africa. Dockets went missing and cases never went to court.”
Noah has described himself as being progressive and having a global perspective. However, he has clarified that he considers himself a “progressive person”, but not a “political progressive” and prefers not to be categorized as being either right or left in the context of US partisanship.
In April 2018, he set up the Trevor Noah Foundation as a Johannesburg-based non-profit organization that equips orphans and vulnerable youth with the education, life skills, and social capital necessary to pursue further opportunities.
He resides in New York City.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | You Laugh But It’s True | Himself | Documentary |
| Taka Takata | Pilo | ||
| 2012 | Mad Buddies | Bookie | |
| 2018 | Black Panther | Griot (voice) | |
| 2021 | Coming 2 America | Totatsi Bibinyana (Zamunda News Network anchor) |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Isidingo | Teen at party | 1 episode |
| 2008 | The Amazing Date | Himself (host) | 13 episodes |
| 2009 | Trevor Noah: The Daywalker | Himself | Stand-up special |
| 2010–2011 | Tonight with Trevor Noah | Himself (host) | 26 episodes; also creator, writer, and executive producer |
| 2011 | Trevor Noah: Crazy Normal | Himself | Stand-up special |
| 2012 | Trevor Noah: That’s Racist | Himself | Stand-up special |
| Comedy Central Roast of Steve Hofmeyr | Himself (host) | TV special | |
| Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand Up Revolution | Himself | Episode: “2.1” | |
| 2013 | Trevor Noah: African American | Himself | Stand-up special |
| Trevor Noah: It’s My Culture | Himself | Stand-up special | |
| 2014–2015 | The Daily Show with Jon Stewart | Himself (correspondent) | 5 episodes |
| 2015–present | The Daily Show with Trevor Noah | Himself (host) | Also writer and executive producer |
| 2015 | Trevor Noah: Lost in Translation | Himself | Stand-up special |
| Trevor Noah: Pay Back the Funny | Himself | Stand-up special | |
| 2017 | Trevor Noah: Afraid of the Dark | Himself | Stand-up special |
| Nashville | Himself | Episode: “Fire and Rain” | |
| Trevor Noah: There’s a Gupta On My Stoep | Himself | Stand-up special | |
| 2017–2018 | The Opposition with Jordan Klepper | None | 128 episodes; co-creator and executive producer |
| 2018 | American Vandal | Himself | Episode: “The Brownout” |
| Trevor Noah: Son of Patricia | Himself | Stand-up special | |
| 2019 | Klepper | None | 8 episodes; executive producer |
| 2021 | 63rd Annual Grammy Awards | Himself (host) | TV special |
Awards
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | South African Comics’ Choice Award | Comic of the Year | Won | ||
| 2014 | Nominated | ||||
| MTV Africa Music Awards | Personality of the Year | Nominated | |||
| 2015 | Won | ||||
| 2016 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Talk Series | The Daily Show with Trevor Noah | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Variety (Series or Special) | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Host in a News, Talk, Reality, or Variety (Series or Special) | Nominated | ||||
| Critics’ Choice Television Award | Best Talk Show | Nominated | |||
| 2017 | Zora Neale Hurston Award | Born a Crime | Won | ||
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Literary Work – Biography / Auto-biography | Won | |||
| Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author | Won | ||||
| Writers Guild of America Award | Comedy/Variety – Talk Series | The Daily Show with Trevor Noah | Nominated | ||
| Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award | Favourite African Star | Won | |||
| GLAAD Media Award | Outstanding Talk Show Episode | Won | |||
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Host | Won | |||
| Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Short Form Variety Series | The Daily Show with Trevor Noah – Between the Scenes | Won | ||
| Thurber House | American Humor | Born a Crime | Won | ||
| 2018 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Talk Series | The Daily Show with Trevor Noah | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Host in a Talk or News/Information (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble | Nominated | ||||
| Writers Guild of America Award | Comedy/Variety – Talk Series | Nominated | |||
| GLAAD Media Award | Outstanding Talk Show Episode | The Daily Show with Trevor Noah | Nominated | ||
| The Opposition with Jordan Klepper | Nominated | ||||
| Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Variety Talk Series | The Daily Show with Trevor Noah | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Interactive Program | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Short Form Variety Series | The Daily Show with Trevor Noah – Between the Scenes | Nominated | |||
| People’s Choice Awards | The Nighttime Talk Show of 2018 | The Daily Show with Trevor Noah | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | Dorian Awards | TV Current Affairs Show of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Producers Guild of America Award | Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television | Nominated | |||
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Talk Series | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Host in a Talk or News/Information (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series | Won | ||||
| Outstanding Variety (Series or Special) | Trevor Noah: Son of Patricia | Nominated | |||
| Critics’ Choice Real TV Awards | Best Late-Night Talk Show | The Daily Show with Trevor Noah | Nominated | ||
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Host | Nominated | |||
| Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Variety Talk Series | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Interactive Program | Nominated | ||||
| People’s Choice Awards | The Nighttime Talk Show of 2019 | Nominated | |||
| 2020 | Critics’ Choice Television Award | Best Comedy Special | Trevor Noah: Son of Patricia | Nominated | |
| Producers Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television | The Daily Show with Trevor Noah | Nominated | ||
| Grammy Award | Best Comedy Album | Trevor Noah: Son of Patricia | Nominated | ||
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Talk Series | The Daily Show with Trevor Noah | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Host in a Talk or News/Information (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||||
| GLAAD Media Award | Outstanding Talk Show Episode | Nominated | |||
| Critics’ Choice Real TV Awards | Male Star of The Year | Nominated | |||
| Best Short Form Series | The Daily Show with Trevor Noah – Between the Scenes | Nominated | |||
| Dorian TV Awards | Best Current Affairs Program | The Daily Show with Trevor Noah | Nominated | ||
| Wilde Wit Award | Nominated | ||||
| TCA Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sketch/Variety Shows | Nominated | |||
| Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Variety Talk Series | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series | The Daily Show with Trevor Noah – Between the Scenes | Nominated | |||
| People’s Choice Awards | The Nighttime Talk Show of 2020 | The Daily Show with Trevor Noah | Nominated | ||
Bibliography
- Noah, Trevor (2016). Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. Spiegel & Grau. ISBN 978-0399588174.
- The Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library. Spiegel & Grau. 2018. ISBN 978-1984801883.
Audiobooks
- 2016: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (read by the author), Audible Studios on Brilliance Audio, ISBN 978-1531865047