S3 EP3: Trevor Noah on growing up during Apartheid, landing ‘The Daily Show’, and being friends with Bill Gates

The Louis Theroux Podcast

Spotify Studios

Comedy, Society & Culture, Arts

4.3 • 696 Ratings

🗓️ 7 October 2024

⏱️ 78 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Louis chats to South African comedian, writer and television host, Trevor Noah. Dialling in from New York, Trevor shares his memories of growing up during Apartheid in Johannesburg, landing the ‘The Daily Show’, and becoming friends with Bill Gates. Warnings: Strong language, as well as adult themes including domestic violence. Listener discretion is advised. Visit spotify.com/resources for information and resources. Links/Attachments: Into the Uncut Grass, Trevor Noah (2024) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/737120/into-the-uncut-grass-by-trevor-noah-illustrated-by-sabina-hahn/ ‘The Most Hated Family in America’, Louis Theroux Specials, iPlayer (UK only) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007clvf Mind Your Language (TV Series) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075537/ Ikigai https://positivepsychology.com/ikigai/ AI For Good Lab Microsoft https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/group/ai-for-good-research-lab/ ‘The Great Mortality’, John Kelly (2005) https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-great-mortality-john-kelly?variant=41000265449506 ‘Whites’, Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends, iPlayer (UK only) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00b996d 'African Hunting Holiday’, Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends, iPlayer (UK only) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b009sj0c ‘Law and Disorder in Johannesburg’, Louis Theroux Specials, iPlayer (UK only) https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00g1vdq/louis-theroux-specials-law-and-disorder-in-johannesburg You Laugh But It’s True https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWBepNts1V4&t=2408s Daywalker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcyuIKzpYJQ The Daily Show https://www.youtube.com/thedailyshow Born a Crime, Trevor Noah (2016) https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/trevor-noah/born-a-crime/9781473635302/ ‘Tyla’s racial identity: South African singer sparks culture war’, BBC News, (2023) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-67505674 Credits: Producer: Millie Chu  Assistant Producer: Emilia Gill Production Manager: Francesca Bassett  Music: Miguel D’Oliveira  Audio Mixer: Tom Guest Video Mixer: Scott Edwards Executive Producer: Arron Fellows     A Mindhouse Production for Spotify  www.mindhouse.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	1-2-12. Are we rolling?
0:04.3	Hello, Louis Theroux here. How are you? Welcome to another episode of my podcast,
0:09.9	the Louis Theru podcast.
0:15.7	Today I'm speaking to comedian, writer and TV presenter, Trevor Noah. Born in Joburg, there's more of that coming up. So apologies in advance. In 1984, Trevor had a remarkable childhood during apartheid in South Africa, the racist South African regime. It's all chronicled in his brilliant book, Born a Crime. It was illegal for black people and white people to be in a relationship, hence the title of the book.
0:42.5	His father was Swiss German. His mother is...
0:44.8	Yes, that's actually a pretty good pronunciation.
0:49.5	And at the time of Trevor's birth, his parents' interracial relationship was illegal.
0:53.0	He spent his childhood walking the line between several different cultures.
0:59.0	He was a successful stand-up comedian and actor in South Africa, then decided to go over to the US in 2011.
1:05.0	He became the first South African stand-up to appear on the Tonight Show and The Late Show with David Letterman.
1:11.6	Then he got his big break and offered to host the Daily Show on Comedy Central replacing John Stewart.
1:16.3	We talk about that. We recorded the interview remotely in September 2024.
1:21.6	Trevor had taken a break from his busy schedule and joined me from New York.
1:25.0	There were some issues with the camera at the beginning. There might be some
1:28.6	tech people or elves, as I like to call them, wandering in and out of the screen. Don't worry,
1:36.6	I docked their wages. It won't happen again. One of the things we talk about is what happened
1:41.7	when Trevor's compatriot, Tyler, the talented R&B singer,
1:47.3	who had a huge hit with the track, Water, broke America, and her use of the term colored,
1:54.0	which I use in inverted commas, but is a well-established term in South Africa,
1:58.6	but which in America has painful racial connotations, and she was
2:03.0	criticized by using it by some Americans, which she, I think, understandably was baffled or
2:08.4	maybe offended or confused by. So that's something that we go into in some detail.
	...

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