By Joel Ontong.
South African comedian Trevor Noah opened up about his mental health and the challenges of being on The Daily Show in the early days, which included getting death threats.
Noah appeared on The Diary Of A CEO podcast, hosted by Steven Bartlett and talked about a wide range of topics during a more than 2 hour-long discussion.
He touched on his childhood, growing up in apartheid South Africa, his parents and more.
Noah talked about how things didn’t go so well at first when he joined The Daily Show in 2015.
Noah said: “It was absolutely terrible. When they say be careful what you wish for – because I was like, ‘Oh, I’d love a challenge’, and it was a challenge. It was absolutely terrible because I stepped into a role that I quickly learned wasn’t just a position, but it was almost like a post.”
He quickly learned that Jon Stewart was, to many people, “the most trusted man in America,” and Noah thus had big shoes to fill.
When asked by Bartlett if race was an element, Noah replied, “I’m sure for some people… I’m careful to say it’s about race and I think it’s more [about] all the things that make you different.”
Noah also recalled getting emails from people hating on him, but he realised the hate wasn’t necessarily personal but rather came from people upset about what he would do to the show.
When Bartlett briefly asked, “Death threats?” Noah said, “I mean, that was extreme and you get that because The Daily Show is involved in politics.”
Noah shared that he also faced severe racism, with people calling him slurs.
There were initial bumps in the road and a significant loss in viewership after Noah joined, but Bartlett shared that the show eventually became a “smash hit”, especially via digital platforms.
“It was a mission,” Noah said and added, “I’m just so grateful and I’m so lucky.”
Noah had a lot of support from his team and Jon Stewart was especially key in setting Noah at ease.
On why he left The Daily Show, Noah said, “It was time.”
During his final time hosting The Daily Show in 2022, Noah joked:
“When I started the show. I had three clear goals: ‘I’m going to make sure Hillary gets elected, I’m going to make sure I prevent a global pandemic from starting, and I’m going to become best friends with Kanye West.’ I think it’s time to move on.”
According to The Washington Post, Noah previously shared that he wanted to spend more time on other things in his life, including family, friends, and stand-up comedy.
When Noah initially said he was leaving, he said during an episode, “It’s been absolutely amazing, and I found myself thinking about everything we’ve gone through – the Trump presidency, the pandemic, and more pandemic – and I realised that after seven years, my time is up.”
Noah had kept his announcement a secret, thus shocking Daily Show viewers.
“Part of the reason I did it that way is because I didn’t want anybody to be the person who then tells somebody else, who then tells somebody else, who then tells somebody else… so for me, it felt like the most natural way to tell everybody at the same time,” Noah told the Hollywood Reporter.
The comedian also spoke about his struggles with depression on the podcast.
“I didn’t realise at the time that the depression that I was suffering from was ADHD depression,” he said, adding that he only discovered the difference later in life.
Noah talked about how he wasn’t alone and that’s how he “survived”, with David Paul Meyer being a close friend.
“We live in a world where so many people sell an idea of perseverance as an individualistic pursuit when it’s not. I think too many people forget the pats on the back and the hugs and the encouragements and the load liftings.”