Trevor Noah on pandemic anxiety and how working ‘nonstop’ on The Daily Show, Netflix specials and stand-up shows over the last decade means he’s ‘missed a lot of his life’ – interview

Jun 20 , 2021

Trevor Noah says he’s ready to come back to life – but things are different now. Photo: @trevornoah/Instagram

When Dave Chappelle invited Noah to an impromptu comedy night in New York recently, the Born a Crime writer ended up on stage again – and loved it

On Zoom, Noah reflects on filming The Daily Show from home, replacing IRL hang-outs with Call of Duty gaming sessions and the pandemic’s impact on mental health

Up until March 2020, Trevor Noah had spent nearly every night of the previous 15 years in front of an audience.

He hosted educational shows, game shows, awards shows and reality shows in his native South Africa. He toured relentlessly as a stand-up comedian before succeeding Jon Stewart as the host of The Daily Show six years ago – and then still toured nonstop on the three days of the week he wasn’t in front of the camera.

I tell him that in the Before Times, no matter where I found myself, I’d inevitably run across a billboard bearing his smiling face, promoting an upcoming show at some venue.

Trevor Noah says he has worked “nonstop” for the last 10 years. Photo: @trevornoah/Instagram

“That’s hilarious,” Noah says, chuckling. “And I don’t doubt it for a minute.” We’re speaking via Zoom, and Noah’s in a corner of his West Manhattan flat, his image resembling the way I’ve seen him for the last 16 months since The Daily Show became The Daily Social Distancing Show and he began broadcasting from a nook in that flat. Only as it’s 35 degrees in New York today, he’s wearing a white T-shirt instead of what has been his signature quarantine attire, a hoodie.

When the pandemic hit last year, forcing Noah physically homeward and mentally inward, The Daily Show producers asked if he’d like someone to come to his flat and build a set. Noah declined, and it wasn’t a difficult decision. If he was going to be required to stay home, he didn’t want to forget the gravity of the situation. So Noah simply set up a couple of iPhones in the corner of a bedroom where he has a couple of bookshelves (those are World Cup trophy souvenirs you see in the background) and a television screen that’s hooked up to an Xbox and PlayStation.

Trevor Noah on The Daily Show before the pandemic. Since early 2020 the comic has been broadcasting the show from his home. Photo: @trevornoah/Instagram

Over the years, Noah, 37, has used daily routines and goals to help him deal with anxiety and depression. The isolation of the pandemic erased those grooves. Monday became Friday. Wednesday became Sunday. Noah couldn’t remember the day of the week, much less the date on the calendar. Noticing the slowly changing seasons outside his window provided his only real bearing. Playing Call of Duty: Warzone with crews of friends jumping out of virtual aeroplanes and shooting each other became a new routine, feeling more normal than the actual surreal empty streets of New York.

“Oh, I mean, it was terrible. Are you kidding me?” Noah says. “If anyone struggles with depression, if anyone’s working through anxiety, you can do a good job of managing that. You can manage how you eat, you can manage how you exercise, how you get fresh air, how you associate with people. All of these things contribute to your mental health. Having it all stripped away at once took a toll on society that I don’t even think we’ve begun to understand.”