NEW YORK -- You hadn't heard of Trevor Noah before? Or maybe you recognized him as that handsome, funny guy who's made a few appearances as a correspondent on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show"?
Well, now that he's been named as the successor to soon-to-be-departing host Jon Stewart, it's time to boost your Noah IQ. Here are five things to know:
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This 31-year-old South African comedian may not be a household name in the U.S. just now, but he's pretty popular elsewhere. He tours the world, has hosted a late-night talk show in South Africa ("Tonight With Trevor Noah") and boasts 2 million Twitter followers -- even without you!
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It's not so bad if lots of people in the U.S. don't know him yet, since the right handful of people do. "I've been lucky to count one of my fans as Jon Stewart," Noah said Monday, quickly adding, "I'm obviously a huge fan of his."
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He was the subject of a 2011 documentary film by David Paul Meyer, "You Laugh But It's True," which uses his experiences as the child of a racially mixed couple at a time when interracial relationships were forbidden in South Africa as the lens for the successful comedian he became.
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As he claims the "Daily Show" anchor chair sometime later this year, Noah represents strong evidence of the globalization of American television. "He comes from a generation living in a very multicultural world that most of our audience lives in," says Comedy Central president Michele Ganeless. "I think people will connect with him regardless of where he was born and where he grew up, as a citizen of the world."
- Reflecting his status as a man about the world, Noah is multi-lingual. He speaks six languages. And that doesn't include Comedy.
