I am one of the most patriotic people you will find. I love South Africa. I love (almost) everything about it. From the incredible people to gems like the Kruger National Park, we truly do live in an amazing country.
So, with that in mind, my patriotism was questioned when I raised an eyebrow at the appointment of Trevor Noah as the new host of The Daily Show. Now, I have never been the biggest fan of Trevor in terms of his craft, and I still don't think he is the best comedian that Mzansi has to offer, but credit must go to him for working his ass off to get an opportunity like The Daily Show. This type of thing never happens.
So, why was I unconvinced when his new gig was announced? Well, American comedy is a whole different kettle of fish to that of what we find in South Africa. It is not forgiving, and it is about as blunt as it gets. Ok, the show is not aimed at South Africans, but the culture of comedy Trevor has been exposed to is shaded by America.
Was he going to be able to adapt? Was he going to be accepted? Those were my concerns.
Having watched the first two episodes, I am eating some rather foul-tasting humble pie. On the whole, Trevor held his own, came across very well, and encapsulated the culture of The Daily Show. Yes, his lines and jokes are all written for him by a team of experienced comedy writers, but it was always going to be about how he delivered the work from behind the scenes. Big tick next to Trevor's name for that.
However... yes, HOWEVER, Trevor lacked a strong personality to deal with comedian Kevin Hart during the interview segment of the first show, while his interaction with Tinder co-founder Whitney Wolfe was a bit messy, bereft of structure, and lacked proper flow. It was a bit cringeworthy, really.
Okay, okay. He is still settling in, but another thing which bothered me was Trevor's mannerisms. The way he tapped the desk and flicked his pen was a mimic of the way Jon Stewart went about his hosting. This, sadly, lead to me constantly comparing the two, in a situation where comparing is not really fair on the new guy. That is a minor issue which I will get over, but I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was a bit irritated by it?
It is easy to be critical when you are not in the situation of the person you are eyeballing, but when you are on a global platform like The Daily Show, every aspect is expected to be on point, from the start. Yes, I know that Trevor will learn and grow into the position, and his first two shows were far from a disaster.
Regardless of the issues I have pointed out, I am incredibly proud of Trevor - and I will admit that I was somewhat wrong with my initial judgement, but is the praise from the southern tip of Africa going to be enough to keep him in the job?
America is nowhere near as accepting.
Do you agree or disagree with Andrew's opinion? Let us know in the comments section below.
Image credit: YouTube
