Arts & Entertainment

Trevor Noah to take over The Daily Show

So if you have been following The Daily Show, they recently announced that Jon Stewart is leaving the show within this next year. To many fans, this announcement was worrisome to say the least. Where was Jon going? What was going to happen to the show? Well finally we have an answer: the new host is Trevor Noah!

I know what you are thinking: who? On The Today Show, Tameron Hall stated “So don’t feel bad if you have to Google him.” Now, I plan to address the worry among fans about this replace­ment and answer the questions about him: Will he be a good replacement? Is he funny? Is the show going to survive? First off let’s talk about exactly who Trevor is. Trevor is the senior in­ternational news correspondent from South Africa and has appeared on the show a grand total of three times. In short, he hasn’t been a very prominent figure on the show.

Now, is he funny? Trevor is a connoisseur of comedy. He has a YouTube channel where you can view his stand up sketches, and just from what is available, it is clear that he understands comedy. Without a doubt from his few yet won­derful appearances on The Daily Show, he defi­nitely knows how to keep a crowd, and he is of course keeping the great satirical nature of the show in full swing. In fact, Comedy Central president Michele Ganeless openly stated “Trev­or Noah is an enormous talent. He has an in­sightful and unique point of view, and most importantly, is wicked funny.” I believe that should settle any worries you may be having about his qualifications.

Now, will he be a good replacement? Well, Jon Stewart’s shoes are going to be hard to fill, and as with all host changes, the show will not be the same. However, Trevor is an excellent personality and will give a more international view on issues that will be brought up, espe­cially with issues like ISIS and Boko Haram—this being one such issue that he and Jon have already discussed. Trevor is no Jon Stewart, but he is going to be a great change and soon you’ll be saying about the next host in line, “well they’re no Trevor Noah.”

Now in the past, Trevor has had a bit of con­troversy about some of his tweets being possibly anti-Semitic or just plain sexist. This is of course not out of bad intention. In his style of comedy, he leaves nobody out, including himself. Even in some of his standup routines, he mocks his home country of South Africa and tells some terribly embarrassing stories about himself. To address this issue, the Comedy Central Press Twitter openly stated “Like many comedians, Trevor Noah pushes boundaries; he is provoca­tive and spares no one, himself included. To judge him or his comedy based on a handful of jokes is unfair. Trevor is a talented comedian with a bright future at Comedy Central.” He, like many other comedians, uses comedy as a way to earn an income and there are times when comedians will go a bit too far, yet this is not how we should judge them. This is not a true reflection of his character and if you look at his statements on world issues, such as that between ISIS and Boko Haram, it is clear that he does not condone violence or approve of terrible acts against other people.

Finally, will the show last? If I haven’t con­vinced you already that it will then I have done a poor job as a writer. Trevor is a personality that honestly belongs in a position such as this one. He will be a great addition to Comedy Central and a welcomed one at that. You can look forward to seeing a great twist on a show that was already great to begin with. It is only up from here.

Have you heard the controversy about Trevor Noah’s old Tweets? What do you think?
Tell us at twitter.com/UWTLedger

COURTESY OF NPR.ORG