I tend to focus my column on serious political and social issues, but for the sake of incorporating some occasional variety, I’d like to commit this week’s piece to a more lighthearted topic very dear to my heart: “The Daily Show.”
Trevor Noah officially took over the program Sept. 28, 2015, and ever since, viewers and critics have had mixed reactions to his performance and maintenance of the legacy former host Jon Stewart left behind. I strongly disagree with much of the critics’ contempt and disappointment with Trevor Noah: Let’s break this down.
Everyone’s a critic until something becomes undeniably successful. Then, former critics claim to have always loved and believed in the project. We have seen this across the spectrum of late-night comedy figures, including the beloved Stephen Colbert. When Colbert made his independent debut with “The Colbert Report” in 2005, many were quite skeptical of how the show would fare in comparison to the other late-night programs. The same is true for Trevor Noah.
After Trevor Noah’s debut, reception was either ruthlessly negative or strongly positive. Critics pointed to Noah’s cutesy, dimpled smile and dirty humor — such as his “Pope has a huge c—” joke — as examples of his comedic inferiority in comparison to his predecessor and colleagues in the late-night comedy sphere. All the while, Stephen Colbert himself, from his platform on his new “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” voiced incredible support and encouragement of Noah’s new ventures.
Now, in February, and four months into Noah’s “The Daily Show,” we’re in a better position to seriously discuss his direction. Before hashing out my support for Noah, I’ll extend an olive branch to his critics: His interviewing skills could use some work. Noah’s had quite successful interviews, such as those with Muslim scholar Dalia Mogahed and Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul, but overall, they lack the witty, sharp, revelatory and seamlessly conversational timbre of Jon Stewart’s interviews. Stewart himself has characterized interviews as the most erratic and hit-or-miss aspect of the show, so with time, it’s reasonable to expect Noah to improve in this regard.
Among the lingering criticisms of Trevor Noah’s “The Daily Show” is that he fails to provide a subtext of deep political commentary alongside the witty satire and goofiness that characterized Stewart’s show. However, for those of us who actively watch the new “The Daily Show,” we can immediately pick apart this criticism with a number of Noah’s bits that have the familiar right-on-point, classic “The Daily Show” edge to them.
Noah’s A+ bits that immediately come to mind include “Donald Trump: America’s African President,” in which Noah draws a seamless parallel between Trump’s militant boldness to that of numerous African de facto dictatorships.
Likewise, Noah’s “Not So Pro-Life After All” bit brilliantly tackled vehement pro-life advocates, such as Carly Fiorina, who decree an end to Planned Parenthood but do nothing to combat the lives lost to gun violence in this country. Noah’s recurrent “Donald Trump Wants to Bang His Daughter” montage also consistently elicits painful truth and laughter without fail.
Even Noah’s correspondents have developed consistently captivating bits, such as “Are All Cops Racists?” in which hypocrisy on both sides of the blue lives vs. black lives debate is highlighted for all to see.
Ultimately, Jon Stewart is irreplaceable. However, this doesn’t mean Trevor Noah can’t be phenomenal in his own right. Within a span of only four months, freshly new into the national television business, Trevor Noah’s “The Daily Show” has provided compelling satire and political commentary. I stand by Noah, fully satisfied with what he’s brought to the table and childishly excited to see what more he has to bring as he grows into his own show.
For those of you who can’t help but feel disappointed, I can’t help you. But one thing is for sure: We’re all anticipating the return of “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” on Feb. 14.
David Hoffman is a UF history and physics sophomore. His column appears on Tuesdays.
