5 Takeaways From New ‘Daily Show’ Host Trevor Noah’s Hilarious TV Press Tour Debut
TCA 2015: Incoming Comedy Central host performed for critics Tuesday night — here’s what we learned
Tony Maglio | July 29, 2015 @ 10:41 AM
Last Updated: July 29, 2015 @ 4:52 PM
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Trevor Noah is participating in his first Television Critics Association press tour panel on Wednesday morning, but he’s already built up some good will.
The incoming “Daily Show” host performed a stand-up set for TV critics Tuesday night at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica. Later, in the theater lobby, Noah faced eager reporters in a busy scrum of digital recorders. The 31-year-old comic handled himself beautifully on both stages.
Below are 5 things that we learned from Noah’s set and post-show unofficial Q&A.
1. He’s a Funny Dude
Noah’s hour-or-so set was good, particularly up front. There were big laughs, strong setups, poignant pauses and some applause breaks. The chatter afterward was all positive — so that’s a pretty solid start.
With one performance, Noah managed to turn some of his toughest (literal) critics into fans, instilling confidence in the crowd that those big shoes he has to fill might actually fit like Cinderella’s slipper.
2. He’s Also a Really Smart, Thoughtful Fella After his closer, Noah took some time with a big scrum of reporters, answering every question thoughtfully, looking each reporter in the eye and taking even some silly (and/or stupid) queries seriously.
“Without comedy, what do we have? At the end of the day, without laughter, what do we have?” he told reporters. “You look at how people got over 9/11, you look at how in South Africa, Nelson Mandela was notorious for telling jokes. Even after 27 years in jail, the man would tell a joke. If we don’t laugh, we would all be extremely depressed.”
On using comedy to fit in as an outsider, Noah added: “If you laugh with somebody, then you know you share something.”
3. Critics Like Him
Noah got what we’d estimate was an 85 percent standing ovation last night from critics and their guests — an uncommon response from a usually tough bunch. We’re actually not supposed to clap or show any emotion during the actual Summer Press Tour panels, so Noah can expect a less hearty welcome Wednesday — even if people are now not-so-secretly pulling for him.
Side note: Comedy Central made a smart decision catching critics on Day 1 of the near three-week press tour. Tuesday night’s jovial mood may not carry over into mid-August.
4. He’s Not Afraid
With a huge show resting on his shoulders and a media-fueled Twitter controversy in recent memory, Noah could have chosen to play it safe win his act — especially in a room of writers who helped get him in hot water. But he did.
Noah’s material was half (if not mostly) race-based, with a few risky jokes that could have fallen flat, particularly given his audience. Perhaps the most trying moment was when he compared American airports to concentration camps, but it worked well enough that the gasps didn’t last.
5. Tough Timing
It’s a bit odd that Comedy Central and Noah are charming us mere days before Jon Stewart bids adieu next week. Perhaps a mid-July exodus for the long-term host would have actually worked out better in the public baton-pass.
Last night, after heaping tons of praise on his current boss, mentor and soon-to-be predecessor, Noah spoke a bit about Stewart’s final show. He’ll definitely attend and participate in some way, Noah said, but the details are still under discussion.
Noah takes over Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” on Sep. 28; Stewart’s final show is Aug. 6.
The Scene at TCA: Funny, Frank and Flippant Quotes From Summer 2015 TV Press Tour (Photos)
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“In the tradition of working with Carlton Cuse, I don’t know anything that’s going on.” -- "Colony" star Josh Holloway
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“It’s hard to talk about that without sounding sexist ourselves.” -- "Reign" showrunner Laurie McCarthy on balancing work and home lives during female showrunners panel
“This is simply too much television.” -- FX CEO John Landgraf warning of a television bubble about to burst
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“OK, here she is now. How did she get to where she’s at right now?” -- Lee Daniels teasing an "Empire" prequel following a young Cookie Lyon
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“Bye Felicia.” -- "Empire" creator Lee Daniels shutting down woman suing the show claiming Cookie Lyon was based on her
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“They were terrific, but I’m really happier — I’m going to dare to say that — to be here." -- "Rosewood's" Lorraine Toussaint on her last show, "Forever"
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“It has been an incredible year for minorities, and I’m blessed to be in the forefront of that.” -- "Minority Report" star Meagan Good on TV diversity
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“The Olsen twins cried a lot, so it was hard to get a take, that’s pretty accurate,” he said. “So I said, ‘get rid of ‘em.’” -- John Stamos revealing he almost got Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen fired from "Full House"
“Unlike that girl, who apologized and resigned, we wanted to bring our queen bee character to some sort of awareness about her behavior.” -- "Scream Queens" creator Ryan Murphy revealing that Emma Roberts' character was inspired by viral sorority email
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“Every single actor in every single scene at some point is given one direction, which is: ‘OK, now do the scene as if you’re the killer,'” -- "Scream Queens" star Jamie Lee Curtis on the plan to reveal the killer
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“It’s a little bit of an odd result.” -- Fox CEO Gary Newman on "Empire's" Emmy Snubs
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“I was really excited about getting involved in TV again, and it was great to get a call from Don.” -- Former "Gossip Girl" star Chace Crawford on returning to TV with "Blood & Oil"
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“It’s a lovely thing that you’re saying, but I’m not answering that.” -- Shonda Rhimes refusing to answer a question about her legacy in television
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“You could send him over to Meredith and I could cut his vocal cords out.” -- "Grey's Anatomy" star Ellen Pompeo on how Shondaland would deal with Donald Trump
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“We’re crashing cars and we’re doing the whole thing — it’s gonna be awesome,” "The Goldbergs" creator Adam Goldberg on the series' "Risky Business" episode
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“That’s kind of how I grew up on ‘Community,’ where it’s all about the ensemble.” -- "Dr. Ken" star and EP Ken Jeong on the show's ensemble
“Any actress in the world would want to play Alex Parrish ... She’s the female Jason Bourne.” -- "Quantico" star Priyanka Chopra on her first TV role
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“She’s a star. She’s an iconic ABC star. We think the entire world will be talking about [her].” -- ABC President Paul Lee on "Quantico" star Priyanka Chopra
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“It can be tough to work with your ex … Especially when your ex is a pig.” – Kermit the Frog after announcing his split from Miss Piggy
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“We won’t be getting into arguments over politics and current events, but we might be getting into debates about the politics of hair.” -- "FABLife" host Tyra Banks on how the show differs from "The View"
“You can’t be the dirty Oprah.” -- "FABLife" host Tyra Banks on the difficulties of her last daytime talk show
“I love the idea because I don’t see enough of that on the air any place … and I think it’s a rich idea.” -- Norman Lear on his plans for a reboot of "One Day at a Time" featuring three generations of Latina women
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“I think what’s going on is outrageous. It’s absolutely terrible and wrong and ill conceived.” -- "Doctor Who" showrunner Steven Moffat on BBC's potential for pulled government funding
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“‘The Muppet Show’ to me, and ‘Sesame Street’ … they’re in the same world as ‘SNL.'” -- "Nature Cat" star Bobby Moynihan
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“As a Chinese-American kid growing up here, there was not many role models I could look up to on the big screen.” -- "Into the Badlands" star Daniel Wu
“There’s going to be plenty of encounters of the Walker type." -- Showrunner Dave Erickson on "Fear the Walking Dead"
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"Everything that I portrayed during filming has happened to me as far as dancing, or everyday life. It’s completely authentic. There’s no frills to it.” -- "Flesh and Bone" star Sarah Hay on the series' depiction of ballet
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“It’s not a cop show, a doctor show, or a lawyer show. Those shows make me want to hang myself as a viewer.” -- "Ash vs. Evil Dead" star Bruce Campbell on Starz series
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“One of the pleasures of my career is to connect people of whom I am a fan, and I’d been a fan of Patrick’s for a number of years and of Jonathan’s [Ames] work.” -- "Blunt Talk" creator Seth MacFarlane on star Patrick Stewart
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“I can’t really tell you [much], but I think when you see what she’s up to in the show, you’ll appreciate what a clever idea [it is].” -- "Doctor Who" showrunner Steven Moffat on Maisie Williams' role
“A cross between Machete and Marcia Brady.” -- Danny Trejo describing his "From Dusk Till Dawn" character
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“We’re not about violence and we’re not about gore. And if any torture is involved, we don’t show that. What we do show, is the consequence of the crime.” -- Sara Kozak, Senior Vice President, Production of Investigation Discovery
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“I think the beauty of the bravery of Nat Geo is actually that they’re letting us de-sanitize the story of Thanksgiving and that whole part of our history." -- Actor Raul Trujillo on his TV movie "Saints & Strangers"
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“Let me put it this way. If a person has 9,000 tweets and five of them are not to your taste. What I heard is, ‘This person has 8,995 tweets that weren’t offensive.'” -- New 'Daily Show' Host Trevor Noah on his Twitter controversy
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"“MTV brought us up and said ‘Hey, it’s lunchtime.’ We had no idea what to do! They gave us a lunch break and everyone was freaking out, like ‘We can’t sit down. We can’t take lunch.'" -- YouTube star Todrick Hall on his new MTV show "Todrick"
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“My own community ostracizes me and thinks of Nelly Fags and Butch Lesbians are sort of the pariahs of the community.” -- Lea DeLaria comparing her life story to that of her "Orange Is the New Black" character
“A million dollars an episode is kinda ridiculous ... Let’s be honest, that’s a lot of money.” -- "Grace and Frankie" showrunner Marta Kauffman on "Friends" cast's $1 million per episode
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“I don’t think anyone else needs to hear me bitch about E!” -- Chelsea Handler, host of an upcoming four-film Netflix documentary series
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“Playing a trans character on a show being shepherded by Lana Wachowski, I knew I would be protected and represented in a way that trans people have never been represented before on TV,” -- "Sense8" star Jamie Clayton
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"We don’t need dragons, we’ve got cocaine!" -- "Narcos" star Pedro Pascal on similarities between new show and "Game of Thrones"