Trevor Noah Reveals His Crush, His Mom’s Humour & More to Playboy
In an interview with Playboy magazine in the USA, Trevor Noah has revealed he has a fan crush on fellow South African, Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron; how his mom made him laugh after she was shot in the head, and that he listens to Otis Redding every day. The 32-year-old South African comedian, who replaced […]
In an interview with Playboy magazine in the USA, Trevor Noah has revealed he has a fan crush on fellow South African, Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron; how his mom made him laugh after she was shot in the head, and that he listens to Otis Redding every day.
The 32-year-old South African comedian, who replaced Jon Stewart as host of ‘The Daily Show’ in the USA last September, was interviewed by David Hochman in an article entitled “You Can’t Go from Zero to ‘The Daily Show'” .
Here are some of the best bits:
On Donald Trump:
“What’s important about Trump’s run is that it exposes the layer of hate, xenophobia and anxiety below the surface in America. That can’t be ignored.”
“Donald Trump reminds me of Richard Hatch from the first season of Survivor. He came on, caused chaos, got naked, formed a few key alliances and walked away with the prize.”
On being Black:
“Cabdrivers don’t pick you up. It happens to me. Or you go into a corner store and get followed, or people say things about you. It’s often not blatant, but it’s entrenched in the system…”
On growing up in Soweto:
“It was weird. We lived how we were living and it felt normal. So many people were born into apartheid… They couldn’t imagine gaining access to the wealth and opportunities of the country.”
“In Soweto, you live in a one-room house, maybe two rooms if you’re lucky. All the adults sleep together in one room; all the kids sleep together in another room… There’s no indoor plumbing… We had running water but not inside the house. It was shared among many houses.”
On funny moments helping him survive in a place like Soweto:
“My mom was shot in the head… But even in the darkest, darkest moments, we found things to laugh about. To have your mom come out of surgery with a hole in her face and the first thing she says when she wakes up is “Stop crying. Look on the bright side. At least now you’re officially the best-looking person in the family.” I mean, who says that? But that’s the family I grew up in. We always found some silly way to get rid of the pain.”
On his bar mitzvah (after his mom converted to Judaism):
“I had a bar mitzvah when I turned 13, but no one came because everyone in my family and my world is black. Nobody knew what the hell a bar mitzvah even was, so it was just me and my mom going, “Okay, now you’re a man.””
On his first impression of the USA:
“I was like, I’ve never seen so much choice in my life… Seventeen different types of milk. Twenty-two kinds of laundry soap. It is a land of unimaginable abundance…”
On his hero Eddie Murphy:
“Eddie watched my stand-up once, which was enough for me to go, I can die now. That’s all I need in life.”
On his hobbies:
“I love boxing. I ride bicycles. I love roller coasters. My dream is to go on a tour and bounce around to every great roller coaster in America.”
On music:
“I listen to Otis Redding almost every day. He just makes me happy.”
On his “fanboy” crush:
“Charlize Theron. Not just because she’s South African. I think she is ageing majestically. She’s so beautiful.”
On fame and dating:
“I have a girlfriend. But yes, you definitely get more attention all over the place. You suddenly become a little more good-looking, a little funnier to everyone.”
“American fame takes everything up a level. Seeing your face all over New York City—no one can deny that’s an insane experience. It’s New York f**king City. It’s the Sinatra song.”
“I’m very lucky in that if this had been my first experience of fame, I probably would have caved. I would have crumbled. I would have gone mad. You can’t go from zero to The Daily Show.”
On drugs and alcohol:
“I’ve never smoked pot. I’ve never smoked, period. I was never drawn to it. I’ll have a few drinks occasionally.”
On earning lots of money:
“Ironically, I’m not necessarily making more money as host of The Daily Show than I was before… Mine is not a Cinderella story.”
“The biggest thing I have learned in America is that it is expensive to be famous here. You have to pay for things. You have to pay for bodyguards. You have to pay for a driver. You have to pay for a publicist. You have to pay for a stylist…”
“I’d rather give the money to starving children. So if you see me dressed really trashy somewhere, know that some kid somewhere got a meal.”
“Honestly, having possessions gets boring… I completely understand why Bill Gates is working to eradicate malaria… It’s much more exciting to fix problems, education, help children. Maybe it’s my African perspective on the world.”
On South African words:
“I’ve also had to monitor myself with some South African words and phrases. People here don’t really understand the word ag. It’s an exclamation. “Ag! What a nightmare!” Also, esh, as in ‘Where’s my phone? Esh! I left it at home.””
If The Daily Show ended:
“I would pick up my U.K. tour where I left off. I would go back and carry on touring Australia. I would go and do my shows in Germany. I would do more shows in South Africa, maybe start some TV shows somewhere else. As long as I’m doing comedy, I’m alive.”
Read the full interview with Trevor Noah on Playboy here.