Comedian Trevor Noah spent part of his speech Tuesday at Wake Forest University's Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, talking with a heckler.
“Why don’t you stand up for Palestine?†the woman yelled at Noah, a popular comedian and the former host of “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.â€
“What are you shouting ma’am?†Noah asked the woman.
The woman repeated her question.
And Noah answered.
“First of all, do you see what you are doing right now? You are not engaging me. You’re putting a phone on me,†Noah said as the audience of more than 5,700 cheered.
“Right, because you are not engaging me as a human being. So what are you doing? You are not asking me a question.â€
People are also reading…
The woman’s question happened as student protesters set up a tent city at Wake Forest University to support Palestinians in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Noah’s talk was part of the Face2Face series sponsored by the university.
Noah told the woman that he wasn’t trying to vilify or fight with her.
“I’m just trying to say as people — we have to ask ourselves, ‘What are we actually trying to do?’†Noah said.
Noah told the woman that his views on Palestinians are publicly known, and he stands by them.
“I haven’t changed them,†Noah said, adding that he supports Palestinians. “I will be honest with you. I don’t think all conversations need to go to a celebrity to be solved.â€
Noah later said that he supported the students protesting the Israel-Hamas war on college campuses nationwide.
Eventually, the heckler was escorted out of Joel Coliseum by university security staff.
Noah, 40, a native of the Soweto township in Johannesburg, South Africa, has two primetime Emmy awards. He was host of “The Daily Show†for seven years, succeeding Jon Stewart in 2015.
He hosts a weekly Spotify podcast titled “What Now? With Trevor Noah.†He also is the author of “Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood,†a New York Times bestseller.
In 2018, Noah launched the Trevor Noah Foundation to provide education to underserved young people in South Africa, the university said.
Tuesday night’s talk was hosted by Sam Sanders, a correspondent with National Public Radio. Noah talked about his parents, his childhood and his life as a mixed-race teenager and young adult in South Africa.
Noah was born on Feb. 20, 1984, to a Black Xhosa mother and a white Swiss-German father, according to his biography. Noah was born during apartheid in South Africa, and his parents’ interracial marriage was illegal.
“And that act fundamentally put my life on a strange trajectory that probably would have turned out terribly if we had not achieved democracy in 1990,†Noah said.
Noah said he is a person “who wasn’t supposed to exist from people who wasn’t supposed to be together, and then be in a world where I am not (the) same, but (I) am of them has always made me think that there are other ways to be.â€
Noah grew up in a world where he was the only person in his family who “looked like me,†he said. “I have a Black side of the family, and there was my white side of the family, and then Trevor. Everywhere I went, it was very specific.â€
Noah also talked about how he developed his sense of humor as a child, saying he taught himself to be funny. His family was very religious, and Noah said he found humor in religion.
“I think at a young age, I realized that I was able to identify what funny was and where funny was,†Noah said. “I think funny is always happening, and all you are doing is identifying it.â€
Noah said he likes to show people when something funny is happening, such as pointing out when adults fall.
“I never tried to be mean,†Noah said.
As a young adult, Noah pursued a career on the radio and television in South Africa.
“It was actually comedy that brought me to America,†he said. “I always loved funny things.â€
A visitor from North Carolina was making a comedy film in South Africa when the man met Noah, and they became friends, Noah said.
His friend urged Noah to come to America and perform as a comedian, Noah said.
“I think you are funny everywhere,†the friend told Noah.
Noah said a factor in his success in the United States was learning how Americans see the world.
Noah said a big factor in the discord these days is labels.
When Noah watches a politician being interviewed on a news program, there is a “D†or a “R†next to his or her name, he said. Those designations force viewers to decide if they like Democrats or Republicans rather than if they like their ideas.
Labeling politicians strips away their humanity, Noah said as the audience applauded.
“But if I could wave my magic wand and change one thing alone, I would say that the news, politicians and people are banned from starting a conversation with the affiliation before the issue,†Noah said. “What you are fundamentally doing is biasing yourself and others before you can even start the conversation.â€