When Trevor Noah was born in Johannesburg in 1984, his parents’ relationship was against the law.
His mother, Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah, was a Xhosa woman; his father, Robert, was Swiss. Under apartheid’s Immorality Act, sexual relations between white and Black people were a crime. Noah titled his 2016 memoir Born a Crime, and it became an international bestseller.
A childhood in hiding
In the book, Noah describes a childhood in which his mother had to hide him because his light skin could expose the relationship. His father could not walk with him in public. He grew up in Soweto and other parts of Johannesburg, raised largely by his mother and grandmother. The book is funny and painful at the same time, and much of it is a tribute to his mother’s courage and faith.
One of its most shocking passages describes how his mother was shot by his abusive stepfather, and survived.
From Johannesburg clubs to television
Noah began as a comedian and television presenter in South Africa, building a following with stand-up shows. He toured internationally and appeared on American late-night television.
In 2014 he joined The Daily Show as a contributor. Months later, Jon Stewart announced his departure, and Comedy Central chose Noah as his successor. He hosted the show from September 2015 to December 2022, bringing an outsider’s perspective on American politics.
Grammys host
Noah hosted the Grammy Awards several times, starting in 2021, earning praise for keeping the long ceremony light and warm. He has also released stand-up specials on Netflix and toured arenas worldwide.
Languages and identity
Noah speaks several languages, including English, Xhosa, Zulu, Afrikaans and others, and he often uses them in his comedy. He has described how speaking a person’s language could make them see him as one of their own in the divided South Africa of his childhood.
Back to South Africa
After leaving The Daily Show, Noah said he wanted to spend more time in South Africa and to travel and learn. He has supported education causes through his foundation, which works to give young South Africans access to quality education.
The book’s reach
Born a Crime has been widely taught in schools in the United States and elsewhere, and an edition for young readers was published. For many readers outside Africa, it was their first close look at daily life under apartheid.
From page to screen
After the memoir’s success, a film adaptation was announced, with Lupita Nyong’o attached to play Noah’s mother, Patricia. The casting was widely welcomed, since Nyong’o had spoken of how much the book moved her. The project brought the story of a mother who defied apartheid’s laws to raise her son to the attention of an even wider audience.
The law said he should not exist. He turned that fact into the title of a book millions of people have read.
