‘The world is not the way we thought it would be:’ Trevor Noah talks the Trump era
No matter how many smart devices you have, it’s hard to keep up with what goes in the news every day: Pipe bombs. The Florida gubernatorial race. Hurricanes. Viral videos showing human beings behaving badly. Megyn Kelly’s latest gaffe. President Donald Trump’s Twitter account.
Try consistently making light of what goes on as your day job. Even if a lot of it is most definitely not funny. Trevor Noah straddles that line as the host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” a gig he has held since 2015, when Jon Stewart left the desk.
“It’s challenging because there is such a barrage of news these days, so we try to break it down into smaller categories,” admits Noah, who will begin taping the show at The Fillmore in Miami Beach Monday through Thursday, right before the midterm elections Nov. 6. ”That’s where the comedy has had to evolve. Before, we were making jokes and making light of the news. Now we’re using jokes to get through more of the disturbing news.”
Indeed, it’s a different time from when Stewart ran things. He got out during the relatively drama-free Obama administration.
But Noah, 34, had the fortune (or some would say, misfortune) of tackling coverage of the Trump White House.
“I think one of the big things we’ve gotten used to is the idea that the world is not the way we thought it would be, if that makes sense,” Noah says. “We have changed in how we process information. For a long time ‘The Daily Show’ was media criticism and what was happening in politics. Now we’re not in a place of nitpicking.“
But the South African comedian-author still sees the satirical newscast as providing comic relief during a tumultuous time in America.
“Oftentimes, I think human beings can get so angry or afraid they start to lose themselves. I don’t want to allow that to happen.”
Want comic relief in the flesh? The brains behind “The Daily Show” have created a traveling Presidential Twitter Library, which is hitting Miami Beach this weekend.
“Every president since Franklin Roosevelt has been honored with a memorial library,” jokes Noah. “This is ours.”
Exhibits include a video retrospective of people, places and things that the president has deemed “sad!”; testimonials from celebrities who have been personally attacked by the former “Apprentice” star; and a timeline of POTUS’ online activity, from the very first tweet in May 2009, touting an appearance on “Late Night With David Letterman.”
The library is inside the Emanuel Luxury Venue, 1723 Washington Ave., in Miami Beach. Hours are 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free.
This story was originally published October 25, 2018 at 11:41 AM.