Trevor Noah kicked off his final show on The Daily Show with jokes regarding Kanye West, Hillary Clinton and the pandemic.
“When I started this show, I had three clear goals,” the host said. “I was like I’m gonna make sure Hillary gets elected. I’m gonna make sure that I prevent a global pandemic from starting, and I’m gonna become best friends with Kanye West.”
The comedian then went on to shout out his correspondents, starting with Michael Kosta, who said he was crushed that Noah is leaving the show. Then he kicked it over to Desi Lydic, who joked she would be doing Noah’s exit interview on behalf of Paramount. She began by asking him what her best personality trait was, and then what he’ll miss most regarding her. “Everyone who knows you is lucky to know you,” Noah told Lydic, before jokingly adding, “one of the funniest people I’ve ever met but one of the worst weather people I’ve ever worked with.”
Dulcé Sloan was the next correspondent to say goodbye to the seven-year Daily Show host. She joked that he was leaving them to go on and make movies, like the Hemsworth brothers. When Noah insisted he didn’t have anything lined up, that he just wanted to take some time off, she questioned his choice. “So, you just leaving a job to do nothing?” she asked. “Wow, you really are half white.”
Ronny Chieng took the stage to share what’s trending on social media. “You know what’s trending right now, my feelings,” he told the host. “You saved me from having to work with amateur producers from Australia and Singapore.” Chieng added, “The whole time it felt like it was us two immigrants coming together to tell Americans what’s wrong with them, which they always appreciate.” After visibly getting emotional, Chieng joked with Noah that it was a lie, he wasn’t actually sad, and instead asked, “Can I be the new host?”
One of the final correspondents to say farewell to Noah was Roy Wood Jr., who told the host to finally come clean in his last episode. When Noah asked Wood what he needed to come clean regarding, he said, “You ain’t actually African.” Wood continued the bit, asking if he really was from Africa, “Why you be talking all British then?” adding, “ain’t no African sound like that, man.” As Noah continued to deny it, Wood gave up and said, “Whatever, it’s been a good run.”
Jordan Klepper ended the correspondent farewells, referring to himself as the person who spends every other week in America, “almost getting murdered by QAnon psychopaths,” to which Noah replied that he was surprised Klepper was still alive. The correspondent then introduced a Trevor Noah version of Jordan Klepper: Fingers the Pulse. Klepper hit the streets of Midtown Manhattan where he asked passersby regarding Noah’s departure from The Daily Show.
After a short break, Noah welcomed Neal Brennan to the stage, regarding 13 years following the friends met at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles. When they met, Brennan told Noah, “America doesn’t tolerate people with accents on TV, so you should leave.” Once John Oliver began finding success as the host of Last Week Tonight, Brennan called Noah and told him to come back.
Noah went on to praise Brennan’s newest special, Blocksbefore Brennan returned the favor with Noah’s standup I Wish You Would, calling it his favorite of Noah’s standups and his “strongest, cleanest material.”
In his final sign-off as the Daily Show host, an emotional Noah took a few minutes to thank the fans and Black women who shaped his life.
“I’m grateful to you, every single one of you,” Noah said in a clip released ahead of the airing of his final show. “I remember when we started the show, we mightn’t get enough people to fill an audience.”
He went on to say that’s how comedy is, too. He recalled that when he started out as a comedian, there were empty seats at his shows, and that’s why he doesn’t take it for granted now.
“Every seat that has ever been filled to watch something that I’m doing, I always appreciate ’cause I know the empty seat that sits behind it, so thank you,” he continued. “Thank you to the people who watch, the people who share the clips, everyone who’s had an opinion, everyone who’s been kind enough and gracious enough.”
Noah even thanked the people who critiqued his show or hate-watched it. “We still got the ratings,” he joked. He then switched his focus and gave a special shoutout to Black women.
“I’ve often been credited with having these grand ideas,” the host said. “Who do you think teaches me? Who do you think has shaped me, nourished me, informed me? My mom, my grand, my aunts, all these Black women in my life.”
He continued by saying that he tells people if they want to learn regarding America, they should ask Black women because, “unlike everybody else, Black women cannot afford to fuck around and find out.”
“Black people understand how hard it is when things go bad,” Noah added. “When things go bad, Black people know that it gets worse for them. But Black women, in particular, they know what shit is.”
The Daily Show host concluded his final segment by offering a bit of advice to people.
“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 said. “They are a lot of the reasons that I’m here.”
More details will be added to this story following the episode airs.