Trevor Noah makes people laugh. He’s funny, thoughtful, and usually pretty upbeat. That makes his past all the more surprising.
Noah has managed to build a successful career as a late night comedian, but the beginning of his life was actually quite tragic.
In 1980s South Africa, a black woman and a white man could not legally have a romantic relationship or marry. The country was deep in the midst of apartheid, the destructive, racist system that Nelson Mandela fought so hard against.
That’s the system that Trevor Noah was born into. His black mother was native South African. His white father was Swiss and German. Since interracial couples were illegal, the two had to hide their relationship. This may have been traumatic for Noah, but he found refuge in comedy and acting at an early age.
In his memoir Born a Crime, Noah discusses his dark beginning. His parents’ “crime” was punishable by up to five years in prison.
His mother lived in constant fear of being discovered. Since Noah was biracial in a country where interracial relationships were illegal, his existence was proof of his mother’s crime.
As a result, his mother lived in constant fear that her son would be taken away by the government. She hid him inside as much as she could. When apartheid finally fell, it meant freedom for both of them.
Noah was quite ambitious, and got his TV debut on a South African soap opera when he was still a teenager. He was already using comedy as a way to examine South Africa’s racial divide.
In his early 20s, Noah started experimenting with standup comedy. Things blew up from there. He quickly became one of South Africa’s most renowned comedians.
By 2010, Noah was a star. He had his own late-night show on South African television. He’d hosted awards shows, put on his own one-man show, and had been the subject of a documentary. That’s a pretty impressive resume for a 24-year-old.
He wasn’t done though. By 2012, he was taking his show on the road, performing stand up in the U.S. and Scotland. He made history that year as the first African comedian to appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
The network execs were pleased enough with Noah’s performance that they signed him on to a new five-year contract in 2017. It’s proof that Noah has come a long way from hiding in the shadows.
About The Author
