What Trevor Noah Learned About America By Leaving America

around the horn, around the horn, right at the end of the pipe, two, right there, welcome everyone, ladies and gentlemen. I'm happy to say that my first guest tonight is an Emmy Award-winning comedian, you know, he's the former host of The Daily Show, but in two. weeks will be hosting the 66th Grammy Awards right here on CBS, welcome back to the Late Show Mr. Trevor Noah, do you know

what

I'm forgetting? What do you forget? I tell him

what

I forget when I haven't seen him in a while. Certainly when I haven't hugged you in a long time.

You are very strong. You patted me on the back right there. That was bordering on chiropractic. I try to give a good hug. I think you hug someone. They should feel you. I agree with everything. Yeah, all in um, congratulations on the Emmy. Thank you so much. It was an exciting time for The Daily Show. Thank you so much. Be honest. Were you surprised at all? Not because it's not a great program and you guys don't deserve it, but you hadn't done it. I haven't done The Daily Show since 2022. Can I tell you it was one of the strangest feelings ever?

First of all, we all know what it's like most years when John Oliver wins, sure, we cheer for John Oliver, no, but you get used to it and the thing is, it's like everyone's late, now we're all doing the same thing. , so we all know each other, so it's okay, John beats you, so I was having a conversation with Henry Winkler and his wife while this was going on. It happens and then the nominations emerge. I'm like, oh yeah, yeah, that's my thing, but anyway, like I was saying and we were talking about everyone standing up and liking us, do we represent everyone?

What are you doing? Because they were defending us. We are standing? Is this unsustainable? I all thought the same. I thought and then they said my name and then she said like you, now you have to stand up and I stood up and it was really an incredible shock. In December you released your latest Netflix special, it's called Where Was She? It turns out that in all the places you traveled around the world, what did you do, what did you do, oh, where did you go and what did you learn about this country that you have created? your house, oh, that's interesting being away from it, that's really the perspective you got, you know, the fish out of water sometimes feels different about the water when it's not in it, that's actually very true, um, I hope, unlike a fish.

I was breathing while I was away um I had a great time I had a great time because I got to go back to South Africa and do a tour there. I hadn't been there for a while, obviously, you know, we started my comedy, that's home before. I made this home and then, um, I had to go to, you know, parts of Germany. I had never been to Berlin. I was able to tour Scandinavia. Okay, this is the most important thing I

learned

. I think the most important thing I

learned

and it was almost. I like to remember that this is abroad.

I find that people spend more time criticizing the people they voted for and not the people they want to vote against when it comes to politics. Oh, this makes sense. I'm sure I understand it, so people will see it. They will vote for the people they want to vote for and then they will spend their time criticizing them for not performing to get the votes and then in America it's almost like the opponents, it's almost like a sport that your team can play. not bad and then all you do is complain about the referee's calls against the other team, you know?

Makes sense? I totally get it and it's like a strange dynamic to live with when history is nationalized and everyone joins your team. team, while in certain local elections people still complain as people, no matter who we elect, everyone in New York hates the mayor, yes, which I think is healthy, yes, I think it's healthy for everyone except the mayor, yes, yes, well. I mean, if you think about how that works, there's a mayor, there's a lot of non-mayors, so I think it's okay that one isn't having a good time, everyone else is safe, another thing, it's taken for granted how much and I'm talking about this. like my special, but like the national anthem, you don't hear it in other countries, they don't play it all the time before.

Sports and stuff like that, they never touched it before. Sports, really, just because you're supposed to play a national anthem. when there's another country present, yeah, it's like our way of showing you that we like our country, but if you're not there, I don't need to do it, you know how it is, it's the same way, it's the same way. Some married couples will only like to be affectionate when there are other people around just to show you that they are married, they will say oh yes of course of course and then when the similar visitors leave then well what time are we seeing there? there, but in America, we are the married couple who constantly show affection for each other, isn't that a healthier relationship?

Trevor Noah it depends, it depends, isn't your metaphor falling apart right now? Trevor, it depends on if, if, if, if you believe. it's beautiful and that's good but it's a little it's a little different you ask me about the differences I didn't say it's good or bad I just said it's a little different like it's strange that each country has strange that each country has, please don't Don't get me wrong, we also have the best anthem, although the best anthem in the world, you know, those lyrics are incredible, oh, can you see that there is no other country that has bombs going off in their anthem, no great anthem? all the people I can't tell you what people think when we play our anthem when we play our anthem for you that's an omen that you don't want to hear our anthem baby people think I'm joking when I say this I love listening to the American anthem because it's like If it just hits the mark it has its cadence it tells you a story other hymns are very similar to them just like ah the country is beautiful it's a nice country there's the landscape people like America Try us you'll see what happens try just try us, yeah, let me ask you a question.

Does that Star Spangled Banner still fly over the land of the free and the home of the brave? You know what he does. I always, always say this. Come on, it's so perfect yeah Think about it, the American Anthem is so gangster, it's the only Anthem where you can put the word at the end of any line and it fits and our flag was still there, there's the flag, that one over there, it What are you going to say now, there's the flag. you want us or that star explodes but say hello you want to see us you don't want me to bring my flag to your country we will bring the flag to your country I want to show you our flag I always say this with my with my American friends when I travel it's like they say something: we will be in any country of the world, whatever, we could be in Australia, we could be in Greece, we could be in Kenya, we could be wherever they do. something like the police will come, whatever it is, and they will do something.

I am very meek, I am very shy and then they will say no, but this is not right and I say yes, if you have an American passport. it's not right because you know your country will come looking for you, yeah I don't know what South Africa's capabilities are if I'm in another country and I have problems. I don't know if the South African government can make a phone call. that country and I know like you know what we're going to do to you, they're going to say what are you going to do and then everything just falls apart.

What happened to tr? We'll send ladies with black mbasa to sing to you to get you out of prison, that would actually be Well, that would be great, let it go, we have to take a short break, but don't go anywhere because we'll be right back with more Trevor Noah, everyone stay, Oh.