When I first realized that I had anxiety more than eight years ago, I had no idea how much it would engulf and encompass my life. I’ve found little help in counseling, medication or meditation, but the one thing that always helps me is watching Trevor Noah.
The Daily Show is most famously known for being hosted by Jon Stewart. Jon Stewart began his tenure as Daily Show host in 1999 and handed over the reigns sixteen years later in 2015. When Jon Stewart announced his retirement, many people were shocked and almost hurt. Many had looked to Stewart as the beacon of their daily news for so many years, the person who delivered the downturns of the day in a way that almost seemed uplifting. Who would replace a man that had made so much impact, so much difference for so many years? It was believed, at least from the outside looking in, that Stewart would be replaced by one of his correspondents who had worked there for many years. In March of 2015, it was announced that Trevor Noah would be replacing Jon Stewart as the host of The Daily Show. At the time, many said, “Who?” Trevor Noah had only arrived in the United States in 2011 and first appeared on The Daily Show in December 2014. He was succeeded by many other correspondents and contributors who had worked with the show for years, so it came as a shock to many that Noah would be replacing Stewart after only being with the show just about four months. Even in retirement though, Stewart proved us all wrong.
At first skeptical of the new host, I began watching The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, now different from the show I had watched for all those years. After just a few episodes, it was easy to see why Trevor Noah became the center of The Daily Show.
I watch the news on television very rarely, rather obtaining information through Snapchat stories, credible sources on Facebook and Buzzfeed. I often find it too difficult for me to watch the news on television because I panic and get upset. The way my anxiety affects me, it makes me almost over empathetic (if that’s even possible). I cry often and struggle to understand the world we live in. Watching Trevor Noah speak qualms all of these feelings. The way he speaks incites both humor and seriousness at the same time. He makes sure that his viewers know that the events of the day are very important and yet makes me feel like it’s okay to laugh. He’s so incredibly eloquent, worldly and intelligent. After hearing what he has to say, it’s understandable why he would be chosen to succeed Jon Stewart. Trevor Noah has an incredible gift similar only to that of Jon Stewart’s. Both men have this incredible gift that makes the world seem like it’s better than it often is.
Trevor Noah is just a kid from South Africa – and he’ll tell you that. He grew up in a time in which he wasn’t even supposed to exist and endured many hardships in his life. Yet he makes the world a better place, one show, one word at a time.