14 February, 2017 - 07:11
The Daily Show host Trevor Noah joined Talk To Al Jazeera on Saturday, one day after his autobiography, Born a Crime, won the Debut Author and Outstanding Biography/Autobiography prizes at the NAACP Image Awards.
Born in 1984 to a black mother and a white father in apartheid South Africa, at a time when interracial unions were still illegal, Noah began his life considered a crime by his own government. At 18, after South Africa's transition to democracy, he starred in the popular Isidingo soap opera, then went on to host his own radio show, Noah's Ark, on YFM, which he eventually quit to focus on comedy. After moving to the US in 2011, he became the first South African comedian to appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Show With David Letterman. In 2015, Jon Stewart handpicked him as his successor on The Daily Show, one of America's top political satire programs.
Talk to Al Jazeera's Dareen Abughaida started by asking about Noah's recent comment relating current events in the US to what he has already lived through in his life. In response, the comedian expressed concern that a culture of segregation and oppression is brewing under President Donald Trump. He is proud to put forth a white nationalist agenda that is becoming more and more something that a lot of Americans are excited about - but more Americans are not, which is the one beacon, the light you have to keep aiming towards.
It's actually frightening to see how quickly you can repeat the ills of the past when enough people are afraid and hungry - and those are two things that if you combine them and use them in the right way you can get people to commit the most heinous crimes against each other, he added.
When asked about Trump's stated strategy to strengthen libel laws, Noah called it a scary place to be in but added, The closer you get to censorship, the more comedy thrives. Freedom of speech is something that people pursue regardless of the laws. As human beings, we want to speak our minds, whether it's whispered in back alleys or proclaimed from a pulpit. As human beings, we want to tell the truth about what we see. Dick Gregory once said to me, The truth is way funnier than any joke you can try to concoct. So essentially it doesn't become harder, because as a comedian I just tell more of the truth.
Among other criticisms, he called Trump somebody who is all about themselves, adding, Donald Trump spent the first day of Black History month speaking about himself and how well he has been doing and his contribution, as opposed to what the month is supposed to be about
He added, People always say, What would you have done if you were around when Hitler was coming up?' And everyone has theories. Now we're in a time when there is someone who is presenting the same rhetoric, who is discrediting democracy, who is saying there are imaginary voters and a rigged election. Where does that lead? The question I always ask myself is: If Donald Trump acts like this when he has won an election, how will he act when he loses an election?
On the topic of whether the media has contributed to Trump's rise through the free exposure they have given him, Noah said there was a distinct difference between unchallenged platforms and critiques of current affairs. Its one thing to have Donald Trump on TV saying something and criticize that, call him out and fact-check him, dispel myths, he said. Its another thing to put his podium on TV for two hours before he comes out, an empty podium ... what are you doing? Youre giving the man free promotion As a comedy show, your job is to look for the truth, find the laughter and speak truth to power. Donald Trump will always be somebody that The Daily Show is looking at, as long as he is involved in the realm of politics.
Speaking about Trump's fondness for Twitter, he said, Trump today is having conversations on a platform where he genuinely shouldn't be. Any leader who is tweeting policy is ridiculous.
He also spoke about being the target of racist tweets. That's social media. I feel like if you're on social media, you'll be the target of racist tweets. I always tell people, Man, I come from a country where racism meant teargas and dogs and rubber bullets.' So someone saying something to me online is really the most timid form of racism I have come across in a long time.
For more information, visit http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2017/02/trevor-noah-le....
Embedded video for Trevor Noah: Any leader tweeting policy is ridiculous
Television
Africa South Africa
Most recent headlines
01/01/2026
Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Announces 2026 Noel Schajris Scholarship The scholarship will cover tuition and housing for one Berklee College of Music stud...
01/01/2026
New year, new games, all with RTX 5080-powered cloud energy. GeForce NOW is kicking off 2026 by looking back at an unforgettable year of wins and wildly high fr...
31/12/2025
Back to All News
NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix Scores Again With the Lions-V...
30/12/2025
As the College Football Playoff Enters the Quarterfinals, ESPN Blows Out Its Meg...
30/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Original ArticlesTake a look back at all our coverage of big-time productions, game-changing technologies, and state-of-the-art new faci...
30/12/2025
MELBOURNE, Fla., Dec. 30, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) will release its fourth quarter 2025 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, J...
30/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
30/12/2025
It marked the first civilian operational authorization for a HAPS flight in Europe, led by Space42's subsidiary, Mira Aerospace
The flight demonstrated HAP...
29/12/2025
San Francisco 49ers Strike Gold With Halftime Laser SpectacularStunning display caps $200 million renovation of Levi's Stadium techBy Dan Daley, Audio Edito...
29/12/2025
The Cup's Around the Corner: An Inside Look at Broadcast Preparations for th...
29/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Longform VideoWatch the standout keynote conversations, deep dives, and panel discussions from the year for free on SVG PLAY!By Brandon ...
29/12/2025
From crisper Lossless audio and immersive music videos in beta to new Audiobooks+ plans, custom transitions between tracks, and in-app Messages, we keep levelin...
29/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
27/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
25/12/2025
Holiday lights are twinkling, hot cocoa's on the stove and gamers are settling in for a well-earned break.
Whether staying in or heading on a winter getawa...
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
The Boyfriend' Season 2 Unveils Heartwarming Trailer, Key...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today!By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
P...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Taking the Stage at Carnegie Hall-On a Global Scale Boston Conservatory Orchestra students reflect on their epic concert marking the 80th session of the UN Gene...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's The Great Flood and Culinary Class Wars 2 Top Gl...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things By the Numbers: How the Global Phenomenon Shap...
23/12/2025
Experience the power of WO Automation for Radio's newest service, the System Effectiveness Review. Designed to help you achieve more, a System Effectiveness...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
How Steamy Can It Get? Single's Inferno' Season 5 Pre...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
33 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watched Jake Paul vs. Ant...
14 February, 2017 - 07:11 
