Comedy fans can get a firsthand glimpse of the new host of The Daily Show, Trevor Noah, next month. Noah will be performing five shows at Cobb's in North Beach from May 1-3. For $25 you can see Noah before he hits the big time.
Noah, a South African born comic, has toured all over the world. His standup ranges from hot button racial issues and the absurdities therein to the trials and tribulations of being a new resident of the United States. His childhood in apartheid-torn South Africa gives Noah's work a backdrop and nuance that is rarely seen in American born comics and many are hopeful that he can add diversity and a refreshing take on national news to The Daily Show.
I'm still a little sad that my girl Jessica Williams didn't fill that Daily Show seat, but I'm confident something exceptional is around the corner for her too. Parody site The Reductress addressed the issue of a male replacement for John Stuart perfectly with their gag headline "The Daily Show Host Should Be A Woman Who Isn't Soaking My Panties." Noah is hot in a way that somewhat nebbish Jon Stewart never was — and he was on the cover of GQ in South Africa for goodness sake!
Of course Noah isn't without controversy. After news of his appointment spread, some of his old tweets resurfaced. The tweets are about 40% funny. Noah admitted that most of the jokes "didn't land" but some people are upset by what they see as inherent anti-Semitism in the humor behind them. Personally, I find the jokes a little off color but not maliciously intended, and they don't tread ground that hasn't already been tread by other respected comedians.
Though Noah responded to this uproar by saying, "To reduce my views to a handful of jokes that didn’t land is not a true reflection of my character, nor my evolution as a comedian," by far the best response to the incident came from comedian Patton Oswalt. Oswalt responded (as he is wont to do ) with a 53 tweet diatribe about how modern media tends to neuter comedy by dissecting it to its atoms.
Is Noah funny or does his comedy cross the line? You can decide for yourself by seeing him live next month.
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