Sizwe Dhlomo To Trevor Noah: Don't Mess This Up!

Celebrating his 5th anniversary as the host of American comedy show, The Daily show, Trevor Noah has graced the cover of Wall Street Journal September issue and has spoken about his time as the host of The Daily Show. Laughing about the advice that was given to him before jetting off to the United States, he said he was told “not to f**k it up.”

Trevor replaced longtime host Jon Stewart on the Comedy Central multi-award winning show about five years ago. Today, the talk show is still receiving it’s accolades and thanks to Trevor, it is still a successful show.

More than anything, Trevor told the publication that his biracial upbringing helped prepare him for the job which he landed in 2015. The advice he got from people before starting his journey included that he must not mess things up and embarrass the country.

“I remember South Africans saying to me: ‘Hey, man, if you fail, we all look bad. They’re never going to give any African any type of big TV show again. So don’t mess this up.” He added saying his friend Sizwe Dhlomo told him it’s his favourite show so he must not f**k it up. The pressure also came from black people in America. He then went on to add that his upbringing played a major role too, “My entire life, I grew up with a black family and a white family, and I had to translate what was happening between them,” said Trevor.

In their social media pages, Wall Street Journal painted Trevor as an unapologetic comedian whose jokes are raw.

“@trevornoah is our September Men’s Style issue cover star! Exchanging a suit and TV studio for a hoodie and his Hell’s Kitchen apartment, where he has been shooting @thedailyshow, Noah has become a voice of calm clarity in a nerve-racking time.

“Five years into helming show, Noah has answered his early doubters with relentlessly upbeat comedy that doesn’t pull punches—about the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. struggles with racism or a social contract in need of repair.⁠
⁠
“It’s not just that we’re in a social revolution, it’s also during a pandemic,” says Michelle Wolf, a former Daily Show contributor. “It’s never happened before. [Trevor] comes with such a unique experience…it’s almost like he can step out of a situation and give it a different understanding and perspective,” wrote wsj.

“Social media has amplified his platform, as Noah has brought an element of comic relief while also channeling grief over racial injustice in viral YouTube videos. Through it all, the comedian maintains the upbeat energy that’s defined his tenure as a late-night host. “You’ll never find me complaining about the pandemic,” he says.

“If you take me out of the studio, I’m still having these conversations in my apartment in front of a tiny little camera. That is what I do. And that is who I am.” The post read.

Anele Mdoda, Bonang Matheba and Siya Kkolisi are amongst the many people who congratulated Trevor on his latest win.

View this post on Instagram
Thank you for the great write-up @WSJmag 🙌🏾📝 @bystodghill 📷 @gioncarlovalentine
A post shared by Trevor Noah (@trevornoah) on Sep 16, 2020 at 8:20am PDT