The spotlight on... Trevor Noah

By ZAlebs on 28 October 2015 at 14:55 · Comments

Trevor Noah. What a guy! What a South African star! Find out all the important things about 'Mr The Daily Show' right here!

28 October 2015

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This year has very much been dominated by South Africa's funnyman.

The comedian has taken foreign shores by storm, and it looks like nothing can stop the juggernaught that is Trevor Noah from stopping.

Let's find out more about the new The Daily Show host...

The basics…

Full name: Trevor Noah

Birthday: 20 February, 1984

Place of birth: Johannesburg, South Africa

What does he do? Television presenter, comedian, MC

So, who is Trevor?

Trevor Noah has done pretty much everything in the local entertainment industry, so it was only natural that he would progress to the world of international showbiz one day.

It all began for Noah in 2002, when he landed a role in Isidingo as a sharp 18-year-old. Following his debut on South African screens, Noah moved on to do radio shows on YFM and host popular television shows like The Real Goboza, The Amazing Date, The Axe Sweet Life, and Siyadlala.

His hosting skills were recognised further when the South Africa Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) and South African Music Awards (SAMAs) both came calling, in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

His own show took off shortly after those gigs. However, Tonight with Trevor Noah did not go the distance, with a 2010 contract signed with Cell C to be their 'face' eclipsing his rather drab show.

While he may have been making a name for himself as a television, radio, and event host, comedy always played a major role in Noah's career. It wasn't long before stand-up became the mainstay of his career, with his other vocations falling by the wayside.

A plethora of tours and appearances across South Africa and abroad cemented Noah as a titan of the comedy scene, while a number of DVD and CD releases further added to his growing popularity.

In 2014, American satirical genius Jon Stewart handed Noah the chance to work on his show, The Daily Show. Stewart was so impressed with how Noah did, that in 2015 he picked the South African to succeed him as the host of the show. It was a perfect fit for Noah, as it required two of his best skills to pull off - hosting and comedy. Noah hosted his first show on 28 September 2015.

Sadly, life has not always been easy for Noah.

Born during Apartheid to a black mother and white father, Noah did not grow up with a father-figure in the house, and was rather raised by two women - his mother Patricia and grandmother Nomalizo.

Noah also had to go through the trauma of his mother being shot twice by her ex husband Ngisaveni Shingange. After the ordeal, Shingange threatened to kill Noah.

The drama does not end there for Noah. Career-wise, Noah has often been accused of stealing other comedians' jokes, while past controversial comments about Jewish people and women have come back to haunt him.

Despite the issues, Noah has grown into a very impressive entertainer, and one that South Africa should be immensely proud of - especially as The Daily Show is likely to be just the start of his American adventure.

What Trevor has said…

On his rise to fame (702): "Sometimes it's funny because people will see you at the top of a ladder and they'll be like 'yo, you're at the top of a ladder' and you're like 'yeah, but I've been climbing this thing for a while'. So I guess for the person climbing it doesn't seem that high because you're taking it one rung at a time, and then when you get there people go 'how did you get there?'. It's lots of little steps that's all it is. But no one would clap for you while you're on the first step."

Trevor Noah

On taking over from Jon Stewart (Twitter): "No-one can replace Jon Stewart. But together with the amazing team at The Daily Show, we will continue to make this the best damn news show!"

On Ebola (BBC): "Flying has been particularly stressful for me in the recent months. Flying into America has been the worst. You go through different lines, there's extra checks. Especially if you come from what they consider a high-risk Ebola region, which apparently is the whole continent - we're all coughing on each other in one big hut."