Top 10 Funniest Trevor Noah Moments

Several months before inheriting Jon Stewart’s mantle, Noah made his debut as a regular contributor on “The Daily Show.” His first joke about flying in from South Africa might not sound fresh at first, but Noah puts his own unique spin on an oldie with relevant commentary. He begins by comparing America to South Africa in terms of racial profiling and Ebola, becoming increasingly nostalgic for his home country. He brings visual aids to support his point, showing South Africa at its most picturesque and the U.S. at its most unflattering. Of course, Noah also acknowledges that no country is perfect. Closing out with a musical plea to feed Americans, Noah makes a strong first impression on his road to becoming the host.

In recent years, Trevor Noah has become a household name in western households. Before leaving for the U.S., though, Noah’s fellow South Africans implored him not to lose his accent above all else. Noah sees this as an odd request, comparing the loss of one’s accent to dropping something while walking. What Noah finds especially awkward is when white people in South Africa put on an accent, showing the audience what he means with a hilariously cringey impression. Noah was left with a new perspective, however, upon arguing with a security guard over the pronunciation of his name. In addition to bringing the laughs, Noah says something insightful about communication, whether a person speaks with an American, South African, or French accent.

During his travels from Johannesburg to the States, Noah has picked up on a few things about pilots. We’re used to hearing pilots talk in a cool, collected voice over the speaker, but sometimes that just feels out of place! You know, like when the plane endures turbulence. Despite the panic-inducing circumstances, the stewardesses carry on with a smile. Meanwhile, the pilot chimes in with the same reserved manner of speaking, as if everything is fine. Noah finds this annoying, wishing the pilot would let him know if they’re about to go down. He also notes that although in most airports, announcements are made in a calm and collected manner, it’s a little different in South Africa ...

Noah has made “The Daily Show” his own while still remaining true to its roots. During his first night as host, Noah paid respect to Jon Stewart, comparing him to a father figure of late-night. That would make Noah the step-dad in this analogy, putting him in an uncomfortable position. Nevertheless, Noah is grateful to Stewart and vows to continue his work. Noah does exactly that in his first segment, discussing Pope Francis’ trip to America and Speaker of the House John Boehner’s subsequent exit. Bringing the segment full circle, Noah and Jordan Klepper compare Boehner’s potential replacement to “The Daily Show’s” new host. Like Stewart before him, Noah establishes that he can make the news fun, informative, and “globally” appealing.

Just because you fly business class doesn’t mean that you get to avoid the usual airport shenanigans. In this bit, Noah does a spot-on impression of the woman who’s always at the counter typing away. He compares the figures who’d find in the business class lounge to those who fly economy. What’s especially relatable is his description of going through customs, from removing clothing, to dealing with intense guards, to the dreaded sound whenever the metal detector goes off. The next time we see a security guard break out their wand, all we’re going to be able to think about is Noah’s lightsaber sound effects. Noah paints an all-too-accurate portrait, reminding us how frustrating airlines are while also finding the humor in this tedious experience.

Food trucks have become commonplace in the States, although they were a foreign concept to Noah when his friend Dave took him out. In addition to being his first food truck experience, this was also Noah’s first taco ever. A few things get lost in translation when Noah is offered a napkin, which has a different meaning in South Africa. That said, sometimes a diaper can come in handy under these circumstances. Despite that messy exchange, Noah grew to love tacos. He’s shared this uproarious story on multiple standup specials. In both cases, Noah makes the audience feel as if they’re at the food truck with him, Dave, and the thickly accented vendor. It also weirdly gets us in the mood for tacos.

Noah is a lot of things: a comedian, a political commentator, an Emmy-winner. Apparently, he can also add bodyguard to his resume. The fact that he guarded Jay-Z only makes this achievement more impressive. In a “Between the Scenes” segment, Noah recounts his night at the NAACP Image Awards. When Jay-Z and his bodyguards were surrounded by a crowd, Noah offered his assistance. Channeling his inner bouncer, Noah pushed Jay-Z through the hoard of adoring fans. Noah played the role well, as apparently nobody recognized him. Even the actual security guards were surprised to suddenly find a third escort, almost leading to a tense confrontation. Not many people can say that they know Jay-Z personally, but even fewer can say that they’ve protected the rapper.

A lot of Noah’s bits revolve around growing up in South Africa and adapting to life in America. In many cases, it’s the simplest things that stand out to Noah. Just hearing somebody say “water” or “mirror” can be an adjustment. Mind you, word choices can be even more confusing than pronunciations. Seriously, why would anybody call a sleeveless shirt a “wife-beater?” In another instance, he touches upon a word that’s often used to describe men as wimpy, although Noah explains why it should be a compliment if anything. Most Americans might not question this everyday slang. Listening to Noah, it becomes apparent just how misguided such jargon can sound.

Following Donald Trump’s first … head-scratching … presidential debate with Joe Biden, we were all eager to hear Noah’s two cents. Noah pretty much summed up our thoughts within the first couple of seconds of this piece. Audiences had no idea what they just watched, but Noah did his best to put it into perspective. Noah doesn’t blame Chris Wallace for the unpredictable debate, as any moderator would’ve had a difficult time speaking over POTUS. For future debates, Noah makes a few suggestions. Some of them are legit, such as having fact-checkers. Others, like having the candidates wrestle, might seem a tad over-the-top in any other election year. It’s hard to say if either candidate won this debate, but Noah deserves an Emmy for his reaction alone.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

If Trump Fired Eric, “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” (2015-)
We Imagine It’d Play Out EXACTLY Like That

First Visit to Australia, Melbourne Comedy Festival
Another Great Travel Story

Nelson Mandela Birthday Party
A Priceless Impression of the South African President Cutting Lose

Pence’s Fly
Who WASN’T Distracted By This?

Snake Story, “Trevor Noah: Son of Patricia” (2018)
We’ve All Been There...

Noah’s commentary on Donald Trump is one of the numerous things that will define his “Daily Show” tenure. Trump has given him no shortage of material, but Noah is at his funniest when he tries to translate the president’s more confusing comments. Whether he’s talking about windmills, or grounding airplanes, it’s not always easy to understand what Trump is getting at. Fortunately, Noah is here to “Donsplain.” We especially love this segment about the race for 5G. If you’re not the most tech-savvy person, you might not know what exactly 5G is. Based on the way he talks about it in one clip, Trump doesn’t seem to either. Noah takes this opportunity to fill us in while also doing a dead-on impression.