Despite a stereotypical reference to the “dusty streets of SA” right off the bat, which must have had local fans rolling their eyes, Trevor Noah did a pretty good job on his first night as the host of The Daily Show.
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Noah, 31, was announced as host when Stewart stepped down in August after 16 years of lampooning politics and the media.
The Boehner bit, with “senior congressional correspondent” Jordan Klepper, took an amusing, meta twist as Noah told jokes about the scrutiny and criticism that Boehner’s successor would undoubtedly face: “Wow, those are big shoes to fill… whoever takes that job will probably fall flat on their face in front of the entire nation”. “Thank you, Jon… for believing in me”, Noah said at the top of the episode.
As a writer for Time put it, “The moments that didn’t talk about Stewart were stripped of any real point-of-view”.
“And to you, The Daily Show viewer, both new and old, at home or on your phone, thank you for joining us as we continue the war on bull–“. Jon Stewart was more than a late night host. “Now it feels like the family has a new stepdad – and he’s black”, Noah said.
“I’m not afraid to say I don’t know…But the fun part is the learning and I think sometimes transferring that learning into a TV show and giving that to the audience is fantastic”, Noah said. It was a very amusing conversation and set the tone for what’s to come on Trevor’s version of The Daily Show. Well done Trevor, South Africa is proud of you! “These white folks ain’t decided if they like you yet”.
It was when Noah’s first and only opening-night guest arrived that things turned awkward.
Noah was gracious in accepting the gift of ties, though Hart gave him a good-natured ribbing for not being excited enough. “I thought you were gonna dance or something”.
It’s easy to assume that Noah is overly confident by his gracious optimism and upbeat energy.
Next up are the women: Samantha Bee, former correspondent on “The Daily Show”, begins her own “Full Frontal” on TBS in January and Chelsea Handler starts on Netflix sometime next year.
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As for Noah’s skills as an interviewer, Kevin Hart, frankly, wasn’t the ideal guest to offer much insight regarding those chops, yielding an exchange that was loud and manic, much like the comic’s act.
