Here's What We've Learned From Trevor Noah and His Guests So Far
After only five weeks at the helm of The Daily Show, Trevor Noah has already spoken with a number of people at the forefront of the most pressing cultural conversations, from seasoned politicians to beloved comedians. Noah makes every guest sitting across from him feel comfortable, whether they're discussing a new movie or the future of the U.S. political system.
Noah's guest list so far has included high-profile politicians like Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. He's shared his desk with cultural icons like Gloria Steinem and Ta-Nehisi Coates. He's also made fun of fellow comedic colleagues like Kevin Hart and Jack Black. Noah has already proven that he can tackle complex socio-economic issues and make fun of Judah Friedlander's look without missing a beat.
The thought-proving and hilarious conversations Noah has shared with his impressive guests so far only demonstrates how much we can look forward to in the coming months. Here are some of our favorite moments between Noah and his guests from the past few weeks.
1. Gloria Steinem tells Noah she's just "one of the girls."
One of the greatest qualities in a person who's truly made a difference in the world is the ability to be humble. Steinem, one of the leaders in the feminist movement since the 1960s, came on The Daily Show on Nov. 3 to discuss her new book My Life on the Road. In a somber moment between Steinem and Noah, he asks if she's not only a feminist icon but if she is the feminist in the movement. "No, but that is so wrong," Steinem says. "By the very nature of a movement, it has to be lots and lots and lots of people. ... I'm just one of the girls."
2. Ta-Nehisi Coates tells Noah, "Mass incarceration is uniquely American."
It's hard to get deep into a major socio-economic issue based in hundreds of years of history in under five minutes. Noah accomplished this effortlessly when he hosted Coates on Oct. 12. Aside from publishing an immediate best-seller in July, Coates recently took on mass incarceration in a cover story for the Atlantic. When discussing the piece on the show, Noah asks Coates what he tells people who claim black people commit more crimes than others, and Coates explains how un-true that statement really is.
"The crime rise and fall that happened in the latter half of the 20th century is not a uniquely American event, but mass incarceration is uniquely American," Coates says. "Our response is uniquely American, and the argument that I make in the piece is that can't be divorced from the history of white supremacy and black criminalization in this country."
3. Noah nominates Brie Larson for an Oscar.
On Oct. 21, Noah hosted Larson to talk about the upcoming movie Room. In the film, Larson plays a mother who is held captive in a room for seven years with her son. While Larson and Noah discuss a heavy movie and how Larson went about preparing for such a role, Noah weaves in light moments, telling her he could have helped her prepare because he knows hungry people. At the end of their exchange, Noah praises Larson's performance and says if she's not nominated for an Oscar, he'll protest the fact that she wasn't nominated by locking himself in a room.
4. Trevor Noah compares Dan Price to Jesus.
CEO and founder of Gravity Payments Dan Price dropped by the show on Nov. 10 to talk about a new kind of business model he's employing at his company. Last April, Price made a drastic decision to set the minimum wage for his 120 employees at $70,000. At the time, Price was making $1.1 million, but he cut his salary to $70,000 as well to fund the change. Noah jokes with Price, asking how high up he was climbing on a hike when he made the decision and inquiring about his status as a socialist. Price claims he's not, but Noah responds, "I feel like that's what a socialist would say." After listening to Price declare that love can overcome economic forces, Noah makes a striking comparison.
"This is what I'm being presented with right now," he says, "so you are a young man who believes in sharing with others, and you have long hair and a beard and you preach love. Have we met before?"
5. Noah asks Pras if he will run Donald Trump's campaign.
Founding Fugees band member Pras chatted with Noah about his recently released documentary "Sweet Micky for President" on Nov. 9. The film follows Pras and his friend Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly as he runs for president in Haiti. After the 2010 earthquake, Pras returned to his home country to to help Micky run for president, although his friend was a professional musician, not a politician. Noah draws comparisons between Micky's campaign and Donald Trump's, saying, "You guys know nothing about politics. You go into the race. The next thing you know, you're making up ground. You are the front-runners. This sounds eerily familiar." Noah asks Pras if he would run Trump's campaign, to which Pras responds "No, no, no." Noah says, laughing, "Because that would be crazy."
While these are only some of the highlights form Noah's first few weeks, it's already evident that Noah can both laugh with and cover a range of serious topics with his guests on the show. Noah has a natural ability to tread the line of humor and information with his guests. The coming months will only continue to demonstrate that.
