Trevor Noah was almost set up to fail at The Daily Show. He started as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s late-night programme in 2014 and became the host within a year.

Jon Stewart, the icon, sat at the desk for 16 years and was a permanent feature of American political satire. No one could fill Stewart’s shoes, let alone a relative unknown from South Africa. But Noah had his own plans.

He hosted The Daily Show for seven years before calling it quits and shooting his last episode in December. In his own words, he started as “this random comedian nobody knew – on this side of the world” but he exceeded expectations and eventually left on his own terms, announcing his departure while filming, without even telling his crew.

In the rarefied world of American late-night shows, the idea of a black, foreign (in this case meaning anyone not from the US or the UK) host doesn’t – or didn’t – exist. After he took the job Noah spoke of being part of “a new young generation of comedians of colour, in a space where our parents didn’t have a voice that was recognised”. He started to remake the show in his own image, as an outsider looking in on US politics and society, achieving major celebrity status while striving to remain relatable.

Some of his segments went viral, like when he said Donald Trump was “the perfect African president”, comparing him to Jacob Zuma and former president of The Gambia Yahya Jammeh, and he regularly interviewed the world’s top celebrities. The guest list for some of his final shows included Roger Federer, Gabrielle Union, Will Smith, Iman, Barack Obama, Nas, Jordan Peele and Thuso Mbedu.

‘Talk to black women’

He was criticised for not being as funny or insightful about US politics as Stewart or some other late-night hosts. But, broadcasting from his New York apartment during the Covid-19 lockdown, he delivered unparalleled takes after the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests that balanced genuine insight with humour on the country’s most challenging issues.

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In his final show, he said: “I always tell people, ‘If you truly want to learn about America, talk to black women’. Because, unlike everybody else, black women cannot afford to fuck around and find out. Black people understand how hard it is when things go bad – especially in America, but in any place where black people exist, whether it’s Brazil or South Africa… wherever it is, when things go bad black people know that it gets worse for them. But black women in particular, they know what shit is.”

Trevor Noah speaks at the 64th annual Grammy Awards in Las Vegas on 3 April 2022. (Photo: David Becker / Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

He remained appreciative, even thanking those who hate-watched the show – every viewer boosts ratings. “I remember when we started the show, we couldn’t get enough people to fill an audience. And then I look at this now. I don’t take it for granted. Ever. Every seat that has ever been filled to watch something that I’m doing, I always appreciate because I know the empty seat that sits behind it.

“I’ve loved hosting this show. It’s been one of my greatest challenges. It’s been one of my greatest joys. I’ve loved trying to figure out how to make people laugh even when the stories are particularly shitty on the worst days.”

Noah refused to be pigeonholed while leading The Daily Show and continued to perform stand-up gigs, unusual for a comedian in his position. While balancing a demanding TV schedule he released a bestselling book, Born a Crime, and filmed multiple Netflix specials. In an affront to the American system, he’s spoken of wanting to move away from political satire.

“If you start conversations with politics, people have very few ways to connect because it’s one of the more divisive topics we have. In my humble opinion, that’s part of the problem in America: politics has become like sports and everyone is engaged in it, so there are fewer and fewer cultural touchpoints that people share now,” he recently told The Hollywood Reporter.

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“In my comedy, especially in this period of time, I want to share with an audience the idea that we can have more grace for each other and we can understand that people can make mistakes and good people can do bad things – and that doesn’t necessarily mean we have to define them as just bad or just good. I think life is a lot more … complicated.”

Having finished up at The Daily Show, Noah has said he wants to continue travelling and performing, but experience rather than just visit cities across the world. He also plans to spend more time with family in South Africa and will perform shows in Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria in August and September 2023. DM168

How we chose the People of the Year winners

In the past, Daily Maverick journalists decided who they thought warranted the title of Person of the Year, but for the second year running, we have asked readers to vote for their preferred choice, with the proviso that we still have the final say. Choosing the annual winners is a labour of love because that’s what it takes to get a bunch of DM editors to decide whether they agree or disagree with the choices of 13,000 readers.  Over the next few days, we shall republish online all the results in various categories. – Heather Robertson, DM168 editor

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R25.