Trevor Noah

Trevor Noah Speaker Biography

Comedian and Host of Comedy Central’s “Daily Show with Trevor Noah”

Trevor Noah is the most successful comedian in Africa and is the host of the Emmy® Award-winning The Daily Show on Comedy Central. Under Trevor, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah has broken free from the restraints of a 30-minute linear show, producing engaging social content, award-winning digital series, podcasts and more for its global audience. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah has received numerous Emmy Award nominations in a very competitive and increasingly crowded field. This year, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah landed a record number of seven Emmy Award nominations. It has picked up its most nominations since Trevor became host of the Comedy Central show in 2015. Trevor originally joined The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in 2014 as a contributor. Additionally, Trevor Noah and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah have received other awards and nominations including NAACP, Critic’s Choice, MTV, GLAAD, Webby and People’s Choice.

Grammy Awards Host

Trevor has served as the Grammy Awards host in 2021 and 2022. Noah is a Grammy nominee himself. His standup special “Trevor Noah: Son of Patricia” was nominated for best comedy album at the 2020 Grammys.

Stand Up Comedian

Trevor’s success has also spanned to sold-out stand-up comedy shows over 5 continents. Trevor most recently finished his “Back To Abnormal Tour” which saw him sell out multiple nights at the O2 Arena in London, perform across Europe including selling the most tickets ever by a non-German in Frankfurt, Germany, as well as Madison Square Garden, The LA Forum, two shows at the Chase Center in San Francisco and ending his run with two sold-out shows at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

Televised Specials

Trevor has written, produced, and starred in 12 comedy specials, including his upcoming, “I Wish You Would,” his third for Netflix, premiering globally on November 22. True to form, Trevor hilariously shares revelations about learning to speak German, modern communication, and his love for curry. His previous special, “Trevor Noah: Son Of Patricia” received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Variety Show, as well as a Grammy Award nomination. Other recent stand-up specials include “Trevor Noah: Afraid of the Dark” (2017) on Netflix and “Trevor Noah: Lost in Translation” (2015) on Comedy Central. Noah was the subject of David Paul Meyer’s award-winning documentary film You Laugh But It’s True which tells the story of his remarkable career in post-apartheid South Africa. His Showtime comedy special, “Trevor Noah: African American” premiered in 2013. He was nominated for “Personality of the Year” at the 2014 and 2015 MTV Africa Music Awards and won the award in 2015.

Books

Trevor is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood and its young readers’ adaptation, It’s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, which also debuted as a New York Times bestseller. The book not only provides a fascinating and honest perspective on South Africa’s racial history, but it will inspire young readers looking to improve their own lives. The book received the Thurber Prize for American Humor and two NAACP Image Awards, one for Outstanding Literary Work by a Debut Author and another for Outstanding Literary Work in the Biography/Auto-Biography category. The paperback version of Born a Crime came out in February 2019. To date, Born a Crime has sold over 3 million copies across all formats.

Audible Narrator

The Audible edition of Born a Crime, performed by Trevor, was produced by Audible and remains one of the top-selling, highest-rated, and most-commented-on Audible performances of all time. Born a Crime won the Audie Award for “Best Male Narrator,” and was also nominated in the “Autobiography/Memoir,” “Best Narration by the Author” and “Audiobook of the Year” categories.

Born A Crime

Born A Crime is a collection of personal stories about growing up in South Africa during the last gasps of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that came with its demise. Already known for his incisive social and political commentary, here Noah turns his focus inward, giving readers an intimate look at the world that shaped him. These are true stories, sometimes dark, occasionally bizarre, frequently tender, and always hilarious. Whether subsisting on caterpillars during months of extreme poverty or making comically hapless attempts at teenage romance, from the time he was thrown in jail to the time he was thrown from a speeding car driven by murderous gangsters, the experiences covered in this book will shock and amaze, even as they leave you rolling on the floor with laughter.

Day Zero Productions

Day Zero Productions, a joint venture between Paramount Global and Trevor Noah, develops and produces diverse, high-quality creative content for a global audience. With projects set up both within the Paramount Global family, as well as at other studios, streamers, and live platforms, Day Zero focuses on entertaining and impactful content, with an eye toward authentic stories from diverse points of view. Among the current projects are an adaptation of Noah’s best-selling and award-winning autobiography Born A Crime, with Lupita Nyong’o starring, and a reimagining of the classic Paramount feature President’s Analyst. Additional features include a biopic centered on 8-year-old Nigerian chess champion Tanitoluwa Adewumi and an untitled animated feature with Paramount Animation and Mainstay Entertainment, based on an original idea from Noah. On the television side, Day Zero is producing several scripted and documentary series including partnering with Time Studios and Sugar23 on MSNBC/Peacock’s The Turning Point, which examines urgent issues around the world like climate change, voting rights, and the global refugee crisis. Day Zero also produced two seasons of Nickelodeon’s annual Kid of the Year TV special alongside TIME Studios.

South African

Born in South Africa to a black South African mother and a white European father, Noah has hosted numerous television shows including South Africa’s music, television, and film awards, and two seasons of his own late-night talk show, Tonight with Trevor Noah.

Trevor Noah Foundation

Noah launched the Trevor Noah Foundation to improve equitable access to quality education for underserved youth in South Africa. Noah’s vision is a world where education enables youth to dream, see and build the impossible. In collaboration with the government, the private sector, philanthropists, community leaders, and members, TNF implements dynamic programs that catalyze improved education outcomes for teachers, schools, and their communities. In a few short years, TNF has renovated schools, trained young teachers in leadership, increased access to computers and digital skills, and provided much-needed career guidance. The Foundation currently impacts over 600 teachers, 7500 youth, and countless families within the communities.