Trevor Noah

Trevor Noah was born on February 20, 1984, in Johannesburg, South Africa. His early life was shaped by the complexities of apartheid, born to a Swiss-German father and a Xhosa mother, an interracial relationship that was illegal at the time. Raised in Soweto by his mother and grandmother, he attended Maryvale College and grew up exposed to both Christian and Jewish traditions, even celebrating a bar mitzvah. Noah’s entertainment career began in 2002 with a small role in the South African soap opera “Isidingo.” He later hosted “Noah’s Ark” on YFM radio and explored various hosting roles on South African television, including “Run the Adventure” (2004–2006), “The Real Goboza” (2007), “Siyadlala” (2007), and “The Amazing Date” (2008). In 2008, he was also a contestant and runner-up on South Africa’s “Strictly Come Dancing.”

Noah dedicated himself to stand-up comedy, performing with prominent South African comedians and opening for international acts. He gained significant recognition with his one-man comedy specials, including “The Daywalker” (2009), “Crazy Normal” (2011), “That’s Racist” (2012), and “It’s My Culture” (2013). His comedic style, often drawing from his mixed-race ancestry and experiences in South Africa, started gaining international attention. In 2011, Noah moved to the United States, making his U.S. television debut on “The Tonight Show” in 2012, marking him as the first South African stand-up comedian to appear on the program. He later became the first to appear on “Late Show with David Letterman” in 2013, signifying a turning point in his career.

In 2014, Noah joined “The Daily Show” as a recurring contributor, and in 2015, he was announced as Jon Stewart’s successor, taking over as host on September 28, 2015. His tenure as host of “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” ran until 2022, during which he also released his critically acclaimed autobiographical book “Born a Crime” (2016), which became a New York Times Bestseller. He hosted the Grammy Awards for five consecutive years (2021-2025) and the 2022 White House Correspondents’ Dinner. After leaving “The Daily Show” in December 2022 to return to stand-up and pursue other projects, he launched the Spotify original podcast “What Now? with Trevor Noah” in 2023 and collaborated with Epic Fortnite for “JokeNite” in 2024. Noah has received numerous accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards and has been recognized as one of “The 35 Most Powerful People in New York Media” by The Hollywood Reporter and one of the “100 most influential people in the world” by Time magazine.