Trevor Noah

Trevor Noah is a South African comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for serving as the host of The Daily Show, an American late-night talk show and satirical news program on Comedy Central, from 2015 to 2022. Across his career, he has worked in stand-up comedy, television broadcasting, book authoring, and film production.

Noah was born on 20 February 1984 in Johannesburg, South Africa. His father, Robert, is Swiss-German, and his mother, Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah, is Xhosa. Born during apartheid, his parents' interracial relationship was illegal at the time of his birth. Classified as Coloured, he was raised in the township of Soweto by his mother and maternal grandmother, Nomalizo Frances Noah, and attended Maryvale College. He grew up in a devoutly Christian household and was also exposed to Jewish traditions, including celebrating a bar mitzvah at age 13.

Noah began his media career in 2002 with a role on the South African soap opera Isidingo and hosted a youth radio show on YFM. At age 21, he started performing stand-up comedy. He subsequently hosted several South African television programs, including Run the Adventure, The Real Goboza, and Siyadlala, and was the runner-up on South Africa's iteration of Strictly Come Dancing in 2008. After hosting major award ceremonies and creating the talk show Tonight with Trevor Noah, he released stand-up specials such as The Daywalker, Crazy Normal, That's Racist, and It's My Culture.

In 2011, Noah relocated to the United States. He became the first South African stand-up comedian to appear on The Tonight Show in 2012 and the Late Show with David Letterman in 2013. In December 2014, he joined The Daily Show as a Senior International Correspondent, succeeding Jon Stewart as host in September 2015. During his seven-year tenure as host, he released comedy specials on Comedy Central and Netflix, launched the production company Day Zero Productions, and hosted the show until December 2022.

Beyond late-night television, Noah published his autobiography Born a Crime in 2016, which became a number one New York Times bestseller. He co-released The Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library in 2018 and made screen appearances in Nashville, Black Panther, and American Vandal. He hosted the 2022 White House Correspondents' Dinner and was selected to host the Grammy Awards for six consecutive years from 2021 to 2026. In June 2023, it was announced that he would launch a weekly original podcast on Spotify.

Noah has received various honors, including two Primetime Emmy Awards. The Hollywood Reporter named him one of The 35 Most Powerful People in New York Media in 2017 and 2018, and Time magazine recognized him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2018.