His debut wasnt exactly smooth for an audience used to 16 years of Stewart.
When I started there was a lot of criticism around me not being angry.
But what was there to be angry about?
Credit: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
Progress was being made.
Gay people were getting marriage equality.
I refuse to be a part of an outrage machine, Noah says, pausing.
And then Donald Trump was elected.
Donald Trump has made everyone interested in everything, everywhere.
Hes a worldwide phenomenon, says Noah.
His parents never married.
When Noah was growing up if Patricia Noah didnt like a rule, she would break it.
Still, life was difficult.
Many comedians make light of tragedy.
When Noah was in his 20s, his stepfather shot his mother in the head.
He found himself in the awkward position of turning down one of the worlds most powerful comedians.
I just didnt have time, he says.
In 2015, he earned one of the most coveted perches on U.S. television.
Noah may have begun his career onThe Daily Showplaying an outsider, but now he chafes at that label.
Many critics have attributed Noahs clairvoyance to his outsider status, and in part theyre right.
Americans by their very nature think theyre exceptional, he says.
And its true: America is an idea that shouldnt work.
I could see why they liked Trump.
What I really saw is people really hated Hillary Clinton.
Noah couldnt watch much TV growing up, so Sampson and Noah were his heroes.
He can still quote chapter and verse.
Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.
Noah points out millennials have grown up creating change by swiping on their phones.
It took Trump getting elected for them to step into the streets and protest.
He maintains they will be as much a force for change as the generation before.
The older generation tries to maintain the status quo, and the younger generation pushes ahead.
Thats not to say all millennials agree.
The two butted heads over Black Lives Matter, among other topics.
Although manypraisedthe way Noah handled the interview, otherscriticizedhim for giving Lahren a platform for what somecalledhate speech.
The question you better ask yourself, he adds, is the person willing to concede?
Is the person willing to walk away with a significantly different view?
And, more importantly, are you willing to do that?
Because despite their differences, he does relate to the presidentat least as a performer.
When I watch him, I see a comedian.
I see somebody who loves an audience.
Someone who likes to be liked, says Noah.
Its a feeling Noah knows well.
Which may be whyThe Daily Showfeels so relevant right now.
