Cape Town — South African comedian Trevor Noah has opened up on his experience as the host of The Daily Show, saying it was very lonely at times.
Noah was the host of the show for seven years before he announced he was leaving in December 2022. He decided to do comedy shows and tour again and is currently doing a South African tour.
Noah appeared on Clement Manyathela’s show on Radio 702 and spoke about things such as his initial struggles in his first few years in the US, returning to South Africa for comedy, and his new podcast.
“I don’t think it was eight years of incredible success, there was a few years of struggling, which is part of the journey. A few years of grinding and many people didn’t think the show would carry on. In the end, and towards the middle of the run we experienced great success,” he said.
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Trevor said that there were doubts over his appointment and that fellow comedian Kevin Hart was the first big-name celebrity to endorse him when other celebrities chose to shun his invite to appear on the show.
“It was very lonely. It was lonely because I came in very much as an outsider, people were complaining even about my accent. ” he said.
“Kevin came; he was the first guest on my show. He put his neck on the line there… I will always be grateful to this guy. I couldn’t get a single guest on my show when we were starting. People were just like ‘we’re not coming, we’re not going to take a chance with this guy’.”
He said he wants his new podcast to be a space for him to talk about all the things he loves and where people are willing to talk about their interests.
“It’s about everything I love. From current affairs to topics that take us into philosophy and then talking to people I love. From Kerry Washington to Bill Gates, just anyone who wants to talk,” he said.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
