Categories: Lifestyle

Trevoh Noah: The South African Comedian Who Was Born a Crime

Trevor Noah on Jay Leno – NAH MEAN! from Seth Rotherham on Vimeo.

Laughter is the best medicine and South African comedian Trevor Noah knows it. His hilarious stand-up on growing up as a mixed-race child during Apartheid has made him quite popular in his native country and now abroad, having become the first African comedian to perform on Jay Leno's "The Tonight Show" in the United States.
 
Noah was born to a black South African mother and a white Swiss father when interracial relationships were illegal, which is the source of his comedic material. He often jokes that he was “born a crime.”
 
During his routine act he jokingly says, "My mom would be arrested, she would be fined and still she was like 'ooh, I don't care, I want a white man, ooh. And my dad was also like, well, you know how the Swiss love chocolate."
 
On growing up in Soweto Township with his parents, "In the streets my father couldn't walk with us—he would walk on the other side of the road and wave at me—like a creepy pedophile. “And my mom could walk with me but every time the police went by she would drop me—I felt like a bag of weed."
 
He’s only 28 and yet he has managed to become South Africa’s stand out comedian with his latest show “The Racist.”
 
In this exclusive interview with CNN’s African Voices Noah Trevor shares his journey and motivation to make people laugh:
 

Meghan Reid

Recent Posts

‘It felt really scary’ – 14-year-old Nigerian ballet sensation on learning he’s largely blind in one eye

Anthony Madu, the 14-year-old Nigerian dancer from Lagos who gained admission to a prestigious ballet…

2 days ago

‘I remember the day when 56 dollars would change my life’: Wayne Brady reveals humble beginnings

Actor-host Wayne Brady recently opened up about his early financial struggles in his now thriving…

2 days ago

This 1-year-old loves to greet people at Target, so the store hired him as its youngest employee

Mia Arianna, also known as @mia.ariannaa on TikTok, helped her son become an honorary team…

2 days ago

Postman drives 379 miles at his own expense to deliver lost World War II letters to a family

Alvin Gauthier, a Grand Prairie USPS postman, recently went above and beyond to brighten a…

2 days ago

Maj. Gen. Fatuma Gaiti Ahmed becomes Kenya’s first-ever female air force head

Maj. Gen. Fatuma Gaiti Ahmed is the first female commander of the air force and…

2 days ago

All Benjamin E. Mays High School seniors gain admission to HBCU Morris Brown College in surprise announcement

Benjamin E. Mays High School brought together its 272 senior class members for a meeting…

2 days ago

Meet the formerly incarcerated single mom who has gone viral for passing bar exam on first try

Afrika Owes' emotional response to learning that she had passed the bar exam on her…

2 days ago

New York attorney accused of hiring hitman to kill Zimbabwean ex-wife sentenced

A 49-year-old New York attorney was on April 26 sentenced to 10 years in federal…

2 days ago

Cher, 77, who is dating 38-year-old Alexander Edwards, explains why she dates younger men

During an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show on Wednesday, pop legend Cher opened up…

2 days ago

11-year-old accidentally shot to death by 14-year-old brother with stolen gun

Authorities in Florida said an 11-year-old boy was accidentally shot and killed by his 14-year-old…

2 days ago

16-year-old Ethiopian Hana Taylor Schlitz breaks sister’s record to become the youngest graduate from TWU

The famous Taylor Schlitz family is making headlines once more as the youngest of the…

3 days ago

Tahra Grant is reportedly the first Black woman to be Chief Comms Officer at a major Hollywood studio

Sony Pictures Entertainment has appointed Tahra Grant as its Chief Communications Officer. She replaces Robert…

3 days ago

How Ashley Fox quit her Wall Street job and built a startup to financially empower those Wall Street would never talk to

Meet Ashley M. Fox, the founder of Empify and the first in her family to…

3 days ago

‘It wasn’t worth it’ – Tyra Banks says the first time she drank alcohol was when she was 50

Tyra Banks, the iconic former host of Dancing With the Stars, has made a delightful…

3 days ago

Brazilian woman who wheeled dead uncle to bank to withdraw his money is being investigated for manslaughter

A Brazilian woman named Érika de Souza, 42, is under investigation for manslaughter after authorities…

3 days ago