Do we like Trevor Noah?
Our score: 7 out of 10. Decent record and real giving, with a few old jokes and one divisive Charlie Kirk gag keeping him short of the top.
Noah landed one of the biggest jobs in American comedy in 2015, taking over The Daily Show. Within days, old tweets surfaced, including jokes about Jewish people and women. Comedy Central stood by him, and Noah said a handful of jokes that didn't land shouldn't define him.
Fast forward to February 2026 and he hosted the Grammys for the sixth and last time. He joked that Nicki Minaj was missing because she was still at the White House, and he did a Trump impression aimed at her. Then, after Billie Eilish won song of the year, he said Trump needed a new island to hang out with Bill Clinton now that Epstein's island was gone.
Trump took the bait. He posted on Truth Social that the joke was false and defamatory, called Noah a “total loser”, and said he'd send his lawyers. Days later no lawsuit had been filed, and legal experts quoted in US media said satire like this is strongly protected. Noah's answer on the night was “Oh, I told you, it's my last year.”
On the harm check, the pages I read show no campaigning against LGBTQ+ people, women, migrants or the planet. The closest thing is a joke at New York's Comedy Cellar in October 2025 about Charlie Kirk being shot while defending guns. Noah called the backlash ridiculous and said he didn't wish it on anyone, and where you land depends on whether you hear a dark gag or a cheap shot. A February 2025 podcast chat asked whether integration was the right move; the guest disagreed, and the headline over it went further than his actual words.
The good stuff is real. In 2021 his foundation put R8 million into a project with YouthBuild South Africa, helping young people not in school or work get into jobs in construction, tourism, hospitality and tech. He tied it to the idea that everyone deserves to reach their potential wherever they're from.
Nothing new on him lately beyond the Grammys fallout, and that's honestly about the whole list. The old tweets were a decade ago, the Kirk joke is a matter of taste, and the rest is a comic who keeps poking presidents and giving back. A mate you'd happily put on the couch, with one eyebrow raised at the odd gag.