Trevor Noah

Trevor Noah (born February 20, 1984, in Johannesburg, South Africa) is a comedian, writer, producer, and political commentator whose life began as an irony: born to a Black Xhosa mother and a white Swiss father, his very existence was a crime under apartheid law. This improbable start shaped the voice that would carry him from townships to global prominence.

Noah began performing stand-up in South Africa in 2002, becoming the first South African comedian to appear on The Tonight Show and The Late Show. In 2015, he succeeded Jon Stewart as host of The Daily Show, transforming it into a platform blending satire with sharp global perspective, before departing in 2022.

His crowning literary achievement is the autobiography Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (2016), which became a 1 New York Times bestseller and one of the most acclaimed memoirs of the past decade. He followed it with the illustrated children's book Into the Uncut Grass (2024). His stand-up specials, including African American (2013), Afraid of the Dark (2017), and I Wish You Would (2022), showcase his multilingual wit. A recipient of the Erasmus Prize (2022) and multiple NAACP Image Awards, Noah continues touring worldwide.