During Trevor Noah’s final episode of The Daily Show on Thursday (Dec. 8), the comedian thanked all his correspondents, friends, and fans who have been by his side for the past seven years as he took over the desk in the wake of Jon Stewart’s departure. Trevor, 38, also made sure to give “a special shoutout to Black women” during his closing remarks. “I’ve often been credited with having these grand ideas. Who do you think teaches me? Who do you think has shaped me, nourished me, [and] informed me? My mom, my grand, my aunts, all these Black women in my life.”
“If you truly want to learn about America, talk to Black women,” continued Noah. “Because, unlike everybody else, Black women cannot afford to f-ck around and find out. Black people understand how hard it is when things go bad, especially in America, but anyplace where Black people exist – whether it’s Brazil, whether it’s South Africa, wherever it is – when things go bad, Black people know that it gets worse for them. But Black women, in particular, they know what shit is, genuinely.”
“People are always shocked [and say] to me, ‘Why do Black women turn out the way they do in America, why do they vote [the way they do] – they know what happens if things don’t go the way they should. They cannot afford to f-ck around and find out,” said Trevor. He named writer and professor Roxane Gay, Tressie McMillan Cottom, Zoé Tsamudzi, Tarana Burke, and other “brilliant, brilliant women” who have shared their knowledge and wisdom with him.
You will be missed @Trevornoah. You will be missed. I will tell you guys a little story. When I was promoting Hunger, it was a shit show. Journalists had no idea how to talk about fatness. There was a nightmarish thing in Australia with a billionaire’s daughter. https://t.co/IHfLy2ocES
— roxane gay (@rgay) December 9, 2022
I’m sorry I’m crying. https://t.co/uVb465thlm
— Tressie McMillan Cottom (@tressiemcphd) December 9, 2022
“If you truly want to know what to do or how to do it, or maybe the best way or the most equitable way, talk to Black women,” Noah added. “They are a lot of the reasons that I’m here. So, I’m grateful to them.”
Trevor Noah announced on Sept. 29, seven years and a day since taking over as host of The Daily Show, that he would leave the program. “Maybe this comes with not being raised in America, but I believe that everything should end,” Trevor told The Hollywood Reporter about his decision. “A lot of American business and American media is just like, ‘Keep it going as long as possible,’ but I think it’s healthy for things to end when they’re still in a good place. I want to leave before I’m burnt out because there are many other things I’d like to do.”