South African comedian Trevor Noah graced the cover page of GQ Mag August edition in style. In a profile with the magazine, Noah reveals intimate details on his journey as a comic and the day his mother was shot.
Here are some of the highlights from his interview:
On how his little brother broke news of his mom getting shot by his stepfather, on the phone: “It was funny in hindsight, because it was my little brother, and he’s like, ‘Hey, Trevor.’ I’m like, ‘Hey, what’s up?’ He’s like, ‘Are you busy?’ I’m like, ‘No, I’m sort of sleeping. What’s going on?’ He’s like, ‘Mom’s just been shot.’”
On being by his mom’s bedside after surviving the shooting: “She says, ‘No, no. Please, look at the bright side. I’m still here. Just be grateful that I’m still here.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, but still.’ She says, ‘And on an even brighter side…look at my nose. I’ve got half a nose now. So now you’re officially the best-looking person in the family. There’s no contest.’ And then I start crying. Everyone’s laughing and crying. You know? But that’s who we were as people; that’s who we’ve always been.”
On doing stand-up two years straight in the US and trying to crack the American market: “Depression is probably your closest companion on those travels. You’re people-sick. You’re human-being-sick. You just want someone in your life. You want a friend. You want to know you exist.”
On what people can expect from his “Daily Show”: “I have a very vague picture of the show right now. It’ll be like a face-lift. Because, don’t get it twisted, I’m a big fan of The Daily Show, and that’s what it’s still gonna be. It’s still gonna be The Daily Show. It’s the same way, when Fallon took over from Leno, it’s still The Tonight Show.