When South African comedian Trevor Noah made his debut on “The Daily Show” in 2015, he arrived with a promise that he would try to pass off his longtime predecessor, Jon Stewart, as a “crazy old man who left his legacy to some. “random young people in Africa. “
His arrival on the bench of one of America’s most praised television shows came amid an era of transition through late-night television that included not only the launch of Stewart, but also Stephen Colbert replacing the legendary David Letterman in ‘The Late Show’. , while Jimmy Fallon, James Corden and Seth Meyers were also recent additions to their respective exhibitions.
But among this cohort of young people, Noah’s variety is the most puzzling: largely unknown in the United States, biracial and, perhaps most controversially, African.
But despite a nervous start and shaky (maybe even years) first few months on the job, Noah made his mark on former US President Donald Trump’s tumultuous tenure in the White House and the coronavirus pandemic.
Since then, he has continued to provoke skepticism as audiences in the United States (and elsewhere) get excited about him.
Last month, he announced that Noah would host the music awards ceremony, the Grammys, for the third year in a row. Despite his growing reputation, Noah ended his stint as host of “The Daily Show” after seven years on December 15.
Looking back on that mandate, the general consensus is that Noah universally sympathizes.
He felt authentic, eloquent, contemplative, and trustworthy. But the most impressive thing about Noah is that, although he assimilates well into American culture, he has retained his South African identity.
With his tenure now in the rearview mirror, here’s a look at the 3 times Noah shone to the host of “The Daily Show”:
One of the most viewed videos of Noah’s tenure as host of “The Daily Show” with more than 18 million views to date is a video titled “Other White People Needlessly Call Other Black People. “
Throughout his career, many of Noah’s comments highlighted endemic racism in America and no other video highlighted this truth more than this.
The compilation video begins with a clip of two black men arrested outside a Starbucks after an officer called police because they refused to leave.
The men were waiting for a friend. ” Do you see that here?That’s why other blacks deserve to be late,” he joked. “If you arrive early, it’s because he’s spinning. “
Throughout the video, Noah comically contextualized this incident and several other incidents of white people calling other black people for a variety of small reasons. In one, a white woman is seen calling police for an eight-year-old girl for what she described on camera as “the illegal sale of water without permission. “
While Noah has an abundant comedic lineup that makes him one of the most talented comedians on planet Earth, his toughest comedic weapon is his imitations.
Fluent in seven languages, Noah has the rare ability to extract a variety of hilarious accents from other people around the world and pose as the world’s most famous people.
In 2018, that ability was fully demonstrated when Noah read a letter he had earned from the ambassador to France, criticizing Noah for calling France’s victory at the 2018 World Cup a victory for Africa.
“I heard his words about an African victory, not everything can be more of the truth,” Noah read with an exaggerated French accent. He then added: “Now, first of all, I think it may have been less true. I may have just said they were Scandinavian, it would have been “less true”.
Noah then explored France’s colonial history, the pervasive racism that still exists in the country, and the hypocrisy of the ambassador’s argument. While it’s fun and incredibly entertaining, this segment also stood out for its insight.
The fallout from Donald Trump’s election as US president in 2016 proved confusing for late-night TV hosts. They had spent months ridiculing their candidacy and now faced the ultimate circumstances.
Noah, with little over a year in his work, masterfully helped the audience dissect the stage through his contemplative and frank research that made us feel like we were all figuring it out together.
But then Tomi came along Lahren. De controversial way, Noah agreed to interview the conservative Trump supporter after making headlines for her racist comment on social media.
The interview is a must-see, as Noah remained calm and patiently led Lahren into a rabbit hole that allowed him to divulge how hateful his perspectives on his opposition to Black Lives Matter and Colin Kaepernick kneeling, so to speak, are.
At one point, Noah forced her into a corner because she didn’t respond directly to the proper way of protesting from other black people.
Noah used the same tactic throughout, allowing him to patiently expose his problematic views blatantly and obviously.
What a beautiful view.