Trevor Noah: What to Know About the Grammys Host and ‘Daily Show’ Alum

This year’s Grammy Awards will be hosted by comedian Trevor Noah once again, and a lot has changed for him since he began taking this gig. Noah is best known for hosting The Daily Show on Comedy Central, but he has also had a prosperous career as a stand-up comic and in other corners of entertainment. Here’s a run-down of Noah’s career, including the parts you may not know about.

Noah is from Johannesburg, South Africa, and he got his start as a stand-up comedian there. He has been lauded for tackling topical issues with a fresh perspective for a global audience – especially in the satirical format of The Daily Show. He took over that job in 2015 when Jon Stewart retired, but Noah continued to work as a comedian, writer and producer as well. In 2022, he left The Daily Show to focus on other ventures. However, Noah is clearly still a fan-favorite on the national stage as he is hosting the Grammys for the fourth year in a row. This year, the award show airs on Sunday, Feb. 4 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and livestreams simultaneously on Paramount+.

Noah has been deemed one of “The 35 Most Powerful People in New York Media” by The Hollywood Reporter twice, and one of the top 100 most influential people in the world by Time. His commentary on politics has gone viral as often as his predecessors’ did, particularly through the Trump administration and the 2020 presidential election.

Still, for all the clips and jokes they may have seen from Noah, many fans have just a vague background on the man himself. Scroll down for a deeper dive into Noah’s life and career.

South Africa

Noah was born in Johannesburg, South Africa to parents of Swiss and Xhosa ancestry. In his memoir Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, Noah described growing up under apartheid legislation, where his father was classified as white but he was classified as “Coloured.” His parents’ relationship was technically illegal at the time, but progress began shortly after he was born. Noah Speaks  English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana, Tsonga, and some German.

Early Start

Noah grew up in Johannesburg and started his career there as well. He found his way into the entertainment industry at the age of 18 when he appeared in the soap opera Isidingo. From there he branched out into radio, and then stand-up comedy. He worked his way up to spots alongside the greats of South African stand-up, and to performing alongside American comedians when they visited for international tours.

At the same time, Noah found more and more work on TV — mostly hosting talk shows, game shows and award shows in the country. He released several stand-up specials and became a familiar face through numerous ad campaigns, and by the time he emigrated to the United States, he was a fan-favorite.

Attempted Murder

Noah’s mother, Patricia Nombuyiselo, married when he was a child and her husband, Abel Shingange, was physically abusive to both of them, he wrote in his memoir. She divorced him after a few years and did not remarry until 2009 when Noah was an adult. Shortly after Patricia married Sfiso Khoza, Shingange re-appeared in her life and attacked her, shooting her once in the leg and once in the head.

Patricia survived the attack, but Noah reportedly confronted Shingange about it, and Shingange threatened his life as well. This was part of the reason Noah left South Africa for the U.S. He would later become outspoken against domestic violence and the systems that perpetuate it, feeling that it colored both his and his mother’s lives unjustly.

Emigration

Noah moved to the U.S. in 2011, and became the first South African stand-up comedian to appear on The Tonight Show on Jan. 6, 2012. He made the same milestone on The Late Show with David Letterman not long after, and stayed on the circuit of comedy high-rollers in the years that followed.

‘The Daily Show’

Noah became a contributor to The Daily Show starting in December of 2014, sometimes referred to as the show’s “international correspondent.” He was popular among viewers, and when Jon Stewart decided to retire, Noah was announced as his successor without much delay. His first episode premiered on Sept. 28, 2015.

Controversies

Almost immediately after Comedy Central announced Noah as Stewart’s replacement, outrage against him boiled up online over past jokes that were deemed misogynistic or anti-Semitic. Both Noah and Comedy Central pushed back surprisingly hard on these criticisms.

“To reduce my views to a handful of jokes that didn’t land is not a true reflection of my character, nor my evolution as a comedian,” Noah tweeted at the time. An official statement from the network, published by The New York Times, read: “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.”

Ultimately, the backlash faded and Noah was generally well-received as The Daily Show‘s host. However, videos of his old stand-up routines occasionally crop and go viral among his detractors online.

Departure From ‘The Daily Show’

Noah announced that he was leaving The Daily Show on Sept. 29, 2022 at the end of that night’s episode. He said that he felt compelled to return to stand-up comedy – both out of love for the medium and because it allowed him to spend more time traveling. Noah’s final night on the show was Dec. 8, 2022. Since then, The Daily Show has relied on a rotating cast of guest hosts.

Noah has toured performing stand-up comedy since then, and has also worked as a producer on some big TV and streaming projects. He has also done some writing – mostly for his own specials – and some acting as well. In June of 2023, Noah launched his own podcast called What Now? with Trevor Noah.

Books

Noah’s memoir came out in November of 2016 to generally positive reviews. The book is now being adapted into a film by Paramount Players, which will star Lupita Nyong’o as Noah’s mother, according to a report by Deadline Hollywood. Meanwhile, Noah is co-writing another book along with the rest of The Daily Show writing staff called The Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library, compiling the former president’s most infamous tweets.