Trevor Noah

The biggest comedian to come from Africa, Trevor Noah has performed sold-out tours across five continents as well as become a late-night talk show star in the United States. For a boy who grew up as the ultimate outsider, his is a true success story.

Noah was born in Johannesburg, South Africa during apartheid to a white Swiss father and black Xhosa mother. At that time interracial marriage was illegal, so he spent most of his childhood tucked away inside while his family hid their secret from the outside world.

In addition to being poor, another of Noah’s challenges was that he self-identified as Black, but was seen by others as mixed race. Noah first used humour to help bridge that divide.

In his late teens, he dabbled at deejaying and acted in a soap opera, but then in his early 20s, he was pushed onstage during comedy night at a Johannesburg bar. Without any training, Noah began telling stories and received rapturous applause.

He launched his career as a stand-up and TV presenter in earnest in 2002, landing several hosting roles with the South African Broadcasting Corporation. In 2010, he created and starred in two series of the South African television talk show Tonight With Trevor Noah.

Noah moved to the United States in 2011 and landed a spot as the senior international correspondent on The Daily Show hosted by Jon Stewart. Four years later, Noah succeeded the longtime host of Comedy Central’s flagship programme.

When Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, Noah’s outsider perspective became an asset, with the South African comedian better poised to talk about life in a divided country than anyone else. At the helm of The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, he’s been delivering segments on hot topics of the day with his signature candour and thought-provoking humour. The series netted an Institutional Peabody Award, given in support of artists willing to take risks, and racked up numerous Emmy nominations.

Alongside The Daily Show, Noah is one of the most in-demand stand-up comedians in the world. He’s written, produced and starred in numerous shows – ranging from 2011’s Crazy Normal to 2018’s Son Of Patricia – tackling race, politics, family and more.

In addition, Noah is an author. In 2016, he published Born A Crime: Stories From A South African Childhood. Not only did it become a No.1 New York Times bestseller, but also earned him the Thurber Prize for American Humour and two NAACP Image Awards.

In 2018, he launched an initiative called The Trevor Noah Foundation to empower youths with the tools for a better life – specifically access to a quality education.

Noah kicked off the tour for his Loud & Clear show in 2019, with the Covid-19 pandemic interrupting its international run of dates. In July 2021, he announced UK tour dates for a brand new show, Back To Abnormal.