Comedy Central announced on Monday morning that it chose the relatively unknown South African comedian, Trevor Noah, to replace longtime host Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show.”
Who exactly is Trevor Noah?
Noah is a comedian, actor and former radio host from South Africa, born to mixed-race parents — one black South African, the other Swiss-German — were once. Their relationship was illegal under South African rule, and his mother was briefly jailed and fined. Noah started out as an actor and appeared on soap operas before committing full-time to comedy. He has four stand-up specials, including 2012’s “That’s Racist.” In 2012 he became the first South African comedian to appear on “The Tonight Show” and later the first on “The Late Show with David Letterman.” Since December, Noah has appeared three times on The Daily Show, and each appearance has pushed boundaries while still being hilarious.
“Trevor Noah is an enormous talent. He has an insightful and unique point of view, and most importantly, is wickedly funny,” said Comedy Central president Michele Ganeless in a statement. Noah himself commented on the gig on 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!” Stewart took to Twitter too, saying “Very excited to welcome our next host: @Trevornoah! That’s right – another guy in late night from Soweto.”
Get a taste for Noah’s comedy stylings from a standup appearance at the Apollo:
