Born in Johannesburg, Noah began his career in South Africa in 2008. He 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.[7] 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.[8]
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, which Noah highlights in his autobiography. Interracial sexual relations and marriages were decriminalized a year after his birth, when the Immorality Act was amended in 1985. Patricia and her mother, Nomalizo Frances Noah, raised Trevor in the black township of Soweto.[24] Noah began his schooling at Maryvale College, a private Roman Catholic primary and high school in Maryvale, Gauteng, a suburb of Johannesburg.[25][26][27]
Career
Early work and breakthrough
Noah performing on his Loud and Clear tour in February 2019
In 2002, Noah had a small role on an episode of the South African soap operaIsidingo. He later hosted his own radio show Noah's Ark on Gauteng's leading youth-radio station, YFM. When he was 21 years old, his friends dared him to perform a comedy routine at a nightclub. He entertained the audience with humorous stories about his friends and his life. After that night Noah continued performing at comedy clubs, gaining recognition along the way.[28] He dropped his radio show and acting to focus on comedy, and has performed with South African comedians such as Kagiso Lediga, Riaad Moosa, Darren Simpson, Marc Lottering, Barry Hilton, and Nik Rabinowitz;[29] 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 hosted 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,[7] 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).[8] In 2010, Noah also became a spokesperson and consumer protection agent for Cell C, South Africa's third-largest mobile phone network provider.[30]
Noah performed 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).[31][32] 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 December 2014, Noah became a recurring contributor on The Daily Show.[41] In March 2015, Comedy Central announced that Noah would succeed Jon Stewart as host of The Daily Show; his tenure began on 28 September 2015.[25]
Following his announcement as Stewart's successor, attention was drawn on the Internet to jokes he had posted on his Twitter account, some of which were criticised as being misogynistic,[42][43] and others as antisemitic or mocking the Holocaust.[22] 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."[44] 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."[45] 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.[46] Noah has faced further criticism after video clips of him joking about Aboriginal women and the Marikana massacre in old standup routines resurfaced.[47][48]
After Noah took over from Stewart, viewership dropped 37%, and its Nielsen ratings fell below those of several other shows hosted by Daily Show alumni; however, according to Comedy Central's president, the Daily Show under Noah was the number-one show for millennials.[49]James Poniewozik of The New York Times praised him 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".[50] Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times described him as "charming and composed—almost inevitably low-key compared with the habitually antic and astonished Stewart".[51] Other critics gave him less favourable reviews, with Salon writing, "Jon Stewart created a national treasure. Noah has dulled its knife, weakened the satire, let the powerful run free."[52][49] Noah's platform on the show has led to three stand-up specials on Comedy Central and Netflix.[53][54][55] By 2017, nightly viewership was less than half of what it had been during the end of Stewart's tenure; viewership among millennials remained solid, however, and Comedy Central extended Noah's contract as host of The Daily Show through 2022.[56] He would also produce and host annual end-of-year specials for Comedy Central.[56]
After France won the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Noah commented, "I get it, they have to say it's the French team. But look at those guys. You don't get that tan by hanging out in the south of France, my friends. Basically if you don't understand, France is Africans' backup team."[57][58] The French Ambassador to the United States, Gérard Araud, issued a letter condemning Noah's joke. He wrote, "Unlike the United States of America, France does not refer to its citizens based on their race, religion or origin. For us, there is no hyphenated identity, the roots are an individual reality. By calling them an African team, it seems that you are denying their Frenchness."[59] Noah responded to the controversy, saying he did not intend to deny that the team was French, and instead to celebrate their African heritage.[59]
In April 2017, Noah began developing a talk show for Jordan Klepper:[60]The Opposition with Jordan Klepper, which premiered in September,[61] and ran for one season. Noah also executive-produced Klepper, a primetime weekly docuseries, beginning in May 2019.[62][63] In March 2018, Noah signed a multiyear contract with Viacom giving them first-look rights to any future projects by him. In addition to the deal, Noah would also be launching an international production and distribution company called Day Zero Productions.[64]
In March 2022, Noah criticized the greater emphasis on events in Ukraine than on those in other regions such as Africa and the Middle East, claiming racial bias and a racial "double standard" when it comes to news reporting.[67] He pointed to the willingness of Eastern European countries like Poland to accept Ukrainian refugees and noted how "interesting" it was that the countries of Central and Eastern Europe have been "so willing and able to accept a million people coming into their countries in just a few days when just recently they didn't seem to have any space for a different group of refugees."[68] In September 2022, he mocked the sham referendums held in the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine.[69]
In October 2022, after Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Noah claimed that there was a racist backlash in the UK against someone of Indian heritage taking that role. British Conservative politician Sajid Javid described Noah's remarks as "A narrative catered to his audience, at a cost of being completely detached from reality." There were suggestions that Noah was projecting the U.S. political context onto the UK; English author Tom Holland stated, "As ever, the inability of American liberals to understand the world beyond the US in anything but American terms is a thing of wonder."[70][71] Sunak's spokesperson insisted, in response to Noah's claims, that the UK is not a racist country; Noah stated that he never made a statement about the country as a whole, only about "some people".[72]
On 29 September 2022, Noah requested some extra minutes during that night's program and announced that he would be leaving The Daily Show at an undetermined future date after hosting the show for seven years.[73][74][75][76] After revisiting stand-up comedy, he felt a longing to return to visiting countries for shows, learning new languages and "being everywhere, doing everything".[75] It was confirmed the following month that Noah's last show would be on 8 December 2022.[77][76]
His memoir Born a Crime was published in November 2016 and was received favourably by major U.S. book reviewers.[10][11][12] Other than the author, his mother has a central role in the book, while his father is mentioned only occasionally. It became a No. 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.[13] It was announced that a film adaptation based on the book would star Lupita Nyong'o as his mother.[78]
In July 2018, Noah and The Daily Show writing staff released 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.[79]
In June 2023 it was announced that Trevor Noah would launch a weekly Spotify original podcast going over various topics.[86] The podcast was released in November that year and is called 'What Now? with Trevor Noah'. In each episode Noah has a special guest with him. It is his second podcast after one that he hosted for Luminary in 2019 and 2020. In 2024, he collaborated with Epic Fortnite to feature JokeNite, an island that features stand-up performances such as Matthew Broussard, Preacher Lawson, Scott Seiss, and Marcia Belsky.[87]
Influences
In 2013, Noah said of his comedic influences,
"The kings are indisputable. Richard Pryor, [Bill] 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."[88]
He also cited Jon Stewart as an influence and a mentor, following his appointment to succeed Stewart as host of The Daily Show.[89] 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."[90]
In 1992, Noah's mother, Patricia Nombuyiselo, married Ngisaveni Abel Shingange; they had two sons together. Shingange physically abused both Trevor and his mother, and the couple legally divorced in 1996.[99] 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.[33][100][101]
In 2011, Shingange was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced the following year to three years of correctional supervision.[102] 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."[33]
Noah has described himself as being progressive and having a global perspective.[103] However, he has clarified that he considers himself a "progressive person", but not a "political progressive", and prefers not to be categorised as being either right or left in the context of US partisanship.[104][105]
In April 2018, Noah launched The Trevor Noah Foundation,[106] a youth development initiative that works to provide access to high-quality education.
Noah was selected as the Class Day speaker for Princeton University's Class of 2021.[107] He gave his address virtually on 15 May 2021, and was inducted as an honorary member of the Class of 2021.[108]
^Vorster, Robyn Wolfson (27 February 2017). "The deadly power of patriarchy". Daily Maverick. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
^"Trevor Noah's hell at home". City Press. 3 March 2012. Archived from the original on 14 December 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2015. Noah, in an interview with Ezra Klein (podcast hereArchived 24 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine) said that the incident has been tabloidised and implied that his move to the United States was not caused by it.
^Ndlovu, Andile (11 July 2012). "HomeThe TimesArticle Noah voted king of comedy". Times Live. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2015. Noah was named last night as the Comic of the Year at the second annual Comics' Choice awards ceremony...
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