What Did Trevor Learn from The Daily Show?

you you believe? It doesn't feel like seven years? You know? Um? Or not all at the disk obviously I went home in between, you know. Yeah, but still it's been a wild ride, you know. And and some of the people I work with, some of you have been asking between the scenes, what have you learned at your time in America? Trip? What have you learned at your time? And you know it is and I would never pretend to understand America, Okay, you know in the relatively short time I think I've

been here. Um, I don't. I don't think I know much about anything. The more I learned, funny enough, But but when I thought about it. I realized that there were three main lessons that I've learned in my time, you know, being privileged enough to host the show, that that you've been wonderful enough to watch. And the first lesson I learned is something that took me a long time to realize, issues are real, but politics are just

an invented way to solve those issues. I don't ever forget that, you know, I I, in the very beginning also got sucked into the whole Republican Democrats, and you know, it's like, oh, this is the way it should be as a Republican. Yet it's it's not actually the way it should be. It's not even the way it is. It's not a binary. They're not just two ways to solve any problem. They're not just two ways to be.

You know, I'm eternally grateful to a man who I met as a stranger, funny enough, and he said something really beautiful to me. We're walking through Harlem and he said to me, say, you know, Trevor, one of the greatest lives. They tell you in America, they tell you that, they tell you that America's is two political parties, Republicans and Democrats. And he said, but I'll tell you now, as Republicans, Democrats, as black people and every other person of color who is trying to make a name or

do something for themselves. And that stuck with me, and it made me think about American politics differently. Made me realize that we get tricked a lot of time, not just in America but everywhere in the world into liking or not liking something based more on the tribe that

it comes from, the tribe that it emanates from. Then what the idea actually is, You know, it's whether they put that little R or that D next to somebody's name in a newspaper article that defines how you feel about it, when in fact, somebody that you may not agree with on most things can do something that you like.

They could do something that you agree with. And I think as we live in a society where we increasingly introduce ourselves with the things that separates us, we forget that real friendships come from the similarities and then the disagreements. How we polish each other as human beings. I'm not saying you'll agree with everyone, don't get me wrong, Like kumbaya and everything works, I'm not saying that, But you know, just remember that. You know, like Trump did prison reform.

You know, I'm not saying now you should like him, but it doesn't mean you have to hate the prison reform that he did. Know it could be like, I hate this guy, but I'm not gonna be there like your honor. I should get a longer sentence because because Trump did this, ship issues on Democratic Republican. That's That's what I'm saying, And that's that's all I wish I could have said a lot more clearly on the show.

But sometimes in the country, the way the users told, the way it's delivered to you, it makes it feel that way, but it's not. Clean water isn't a Republican or a Democrat issue. Affordable housing isn't a Republican or Democrat issue. I don't care what party you are. You're probably struggling to pay for your rent. You're probably struggling to own a house or to buy something. Crime is

not a Republican or a Democrat issue. It's oftentimes something that York Times just reports on because they listen to everything the police say. But that's another story for another day. You know, politics has transformed into a giant game of football. It feels like and just like football, you know, turns everybody's brains to mush. But don't forget that every time you think of an issue, don't think of it through

the lens of Republican and Democrats. Forget that for a moment, think about it as a human being, and then figure out which person in power is actually trying to do what you think needs to be done about that issue. Now, the second lesson I learned is never forget that context matters. You know, I'll never forget how much context matters. I feel like we live in an age of limitless information right now, but we never seem to acknowledge that there's a shortage of context. In many ways, that's why I

started doing between the scenes. I realized, in the short time I have on the show, there's only so much I can convey as a message. And you know that messages, I understand, distilled and synthesized for people. But but we we we process everything in bites and we don't realize that we have a lot of information, but we don't have the context that is so necessary for us to protest, you know, to to to process that that information, which

is so important. Context is everything. It's truly everything. We have information though we know. We know about a flood in Pakistan in a way that we never would have known before. We know about protests in Iran, We know about what the truth movements are in Ukraine. We know about a drought in parts of you know, Sudan. We we know all of these things. You know, we know who Pete Davidson is dating now we know. Sometimes I feel like we know it before he does. Yeah, he's

just like, what's what? I am? Sweet? But but we don't have the context oftentimes when we make a decision. Is what I started realizing. You know, we see a clip video, it's designed to make us angry, we respond to it accordingly. We don't know how it starts it, we don't know how it ended. We don't know what the actual story is. And context is so important for everything, for every conversation. If you think about it in in in life, you know, see it makes you angry. You

don't wonder why it makes you angry. You don't even know if it was designed to make you angry. You know, I just I've realized it's so important to protect yourself from that, try and find the context. Wherever you can ask as many questions, and it may slow you down in being able to make a decision. It may slow you down and being able to form a take. But maybe that's a good thing. Maybe we shouldn't have an opinion immediately. Maybe we should wait and see what happened,

see what the context is. You don't know what the video is. You know, we'll see these videos. So that video of that raccoon attacking that little girl just terrible. But we don't know what she did to the raccoon. You know, maybe we sold the raccoon some cocaine and wasn't cocaine and the raccoon was like ship there is flower. You know. I think context is everything on it, and I've experienced in many in many ways. Firsthand. I remember when I started the show. You know, um, there's so

many people. They hated me, genuinely hated me. They hated the idea, they hated how I look, They in my hair, they hated my accent, they hated everything about me by

point of view, everything. And then I looked seven years later and now those people still hate me, but but for the right reasons now because now they know me, they understand and Obviously there's people who love me, and I appreciate all of you come out and enjoy the show with me, But just remember, without context, nothing makes sense, whether it's international traditions, norms, customs. We all think it's normal because we are in the place that we're in.

But as the world becomes smaller, we're also going to compress everything that we think is right and is normal, and it's going to create a little bit of tension. You know, there isn't one way, and we don't know what the one way is. You know, context, people, please just don't forget that. It's like how if you joke about your own mom, then it's funny, right, but if I joke about your mom, then it's hilarious. There's a difference,

you know. And I guess the final the final lesson I learned at the show, and I learned it not at the show, but because of the show and the news I was covering, is please don't forget that the world is a friendlier place than the internet and the news will make you think. I just don't forget that. You know, I've been I've been really lucky to go out and you know, my comedy has taken me to places and to people. I've been lucky enough to do comedy from Florida all the way through to you know,

Washington States. I've been lucky enough to travel around the world and meet people, and people are a lot friendlier than social media would have you believe. You know, I have been people who are Republican voters who come to my show because even their kids brought them and they go I didn't know. I would laugh and I had a good time. And I may not agree with you, but maybe this, but they see me as a human. Maybe I talked to them. I see them as a human in a way that we didn't before. People are

lot friend here than they'll have you believe. The news is designed to tell you what is happening. Generally, what is bad is what's going to make news. But not everything is bad. You know, old ladies are just being punched everywhere in New York City, at every corner. You know, sometimes they're punching people. People are a lot better than than than they'll have you think. You know, we're all

we're all human beings. We're trying to get somewhere, and at the end of the day, we're all just trying to smash and and really the I think the most the most important lesson. My time at the show has taught me as gratitude. You know. It taught me to be grateful, you know, grateful for for everything that I have that I don't even realize I have, you know, Grateful to the wonderful people who helped me make every

single episode of the show. I always tell the people I work with, I go, you know, I wish you could be with me all the time. When I meet people who enjoy the show and they go, great show, and I'm like, yeah, but I wish they could see that as well, you know, they could experience that, and they could also get the death threats to uh. We should share these things. That's what I'm saying, you know. Yeah,

but thank you to all of them. It's it's crazy when when when when people ask me that how did this? How did this? It was it was a wild journey. It was the craziest journey that I didn't predict, I didn't expect, you know, I gotta I got a call from a man by the name of John Stewart and I'll never forget this call. I was in London doing my first tour of the UK was such a such a such an exciting moment for me. I I was thrilled. I had wanted to travel and do comedy for so long.

And my phone rang and I didn't know what the number was and I answered and the voice another and said, Hey, Trevor, how are you. My name is John Stewart. Uh host a comedy show in America called The Daily Show. And I was like, oh wow, yeah, I know what the Daily Show is. And he was like, as you should, young man, as you should, because he was very funny. It was like, you know, go in and out of you know, it's like being taking himself seriously and then

not at all. And where there's great conversation where he invited me, said I've seen your comedy online, you know. And I think it was the executive producers basically brought me to John's attention, you know, Jen Flanz, Adam Low, It's Steve Bodo helped me make the show. And they said, John, you gotta see this kid. You've gotta you know, you've got to do something with him. And John liked me, and he said, yeah, let's let's let's do something. You know, I see you in me. I was like, huh, that's

an interesting one. And he's like yeah. I was like, yeah, I've always felt like I'm Jersey. I get it. I get it, you know. But it's it's been wild. And I called my my my two best friends, my two best creative friends who have been working with for a long time, David Meyer David Kibuka, and I said, one of them from North Carolina, you know, Cowboy and and Guru. At the same time, Fantastic Foolmaker called him and said,

you know, David, gotta do this. And then my friend David Kibuka from South Africa is like, you you wanna. I want to go to America and he's like for how long. I was like, for as long as they'll allow us. Man, I need you and we we can do this thing together. And he's like, wow, all right, I was let's see what happens and uh and yeah, and we've been seeing what happens ever since. And so I say thank you to all of those people. There's

so many thank yous. Like I said, my my my first bosses are sitting right here, the people who gave me the job sitting right here. You know. Michelle Games stuck her job. You know something you Aren'tia Sarah and Camp, but right we went through it together. That was ridiculous. People asked them if they were crazy. They were like, are you crazy? Who the hell is what are you doing? Why would you give him this job? You know? And I even asked. I was like, why would you give

me this job? Yeah? And they're like, we we see something in you and we will ride with you. And you did. I want to thank you over and over again. You wrote with me when nobody else would. You could have fired me when people were frustuting me. You should have not seen it when I really will see it. But yeah, we've kept up ever since. You know, all

the people. I've been truly grateful, all the way through to my new team of busses, you know, led by Chris McCarthy and the team Kays and Nina and everyone else you know where they were like, you know, they were the first ones to say, Hey, the Daily Show is your world, but doesn't have to be your only world. Let's make projects together. Let's produce other content. Let's create for the correspondence. Let's you know, get Jordan's doing specials.

Let's get Daisy doing specials. And you know now that people are Emmy nominating, I'm so proud of that, and I'm so grateful to every single one. But honestly, most importantly, I'm grateful to you, O boom, every single one of me. I am. I'm so grateful. I remember, I remember when we started the show, we couldn't get enough people to fill an audience. And you know, I always think it's good.

That's how comedy is funny enough. I remember all my shows people didn't there weren't tickets that you know, everyone empty seats um and then I and then I look at this now, I don't take it for granted. Ever, every seat that has ever been filled to watch something that I'm doing I always appreciate because I know the empty seat that sits behind it. So thank you. Thank you to the people who watch, the people who share

the clips. You know, everyone who's had an opinion, everyone who's been kind enough and gracious enough to you know, whether even if it's a critique, doesn't even have to be praised, but some people watching that I don't like it when you do this, but I but I watched. I want to say I appreciate those people, even the people who hate watched. We still got the ratings. Thank you. Yeah, I'm eternally grateful to you. And uh this is random

for some, but special shout out to to black women. Um, I you know, I've I've been I've often been credited with, you know, having these grand ideas of people like oh, Travil, you're so smart and you so and then like I'm like, who do you think teaches me? You know, who do you think has shaped me, nourished me, informed me? You know from my mom, my grand you know, my aunt, all these black women in my life. But then in America as well. If you always tell people, if you

truly want to learn about America, talk to black women. Yeah, because unlike everybody else, black women cannot afford to and find out. Black people understand how hard it is when things go bad, especially in America, but any place where black people exist, where it's Brazil, or its South Africa, wherever it is, when things go bad, black people know

that it gets worse for them. But black women in particular, they know what is Genuinely, He'll always be shocked to be like, why do what black women turn out the way they do in America? Why do they vote the way the yeah, because they know what happens if things do not go the way it should. They cannot afford

to around and find out. And some black women who have taught me, all of them, I mean the scholars online, the you know, the authors, everybody, the Rock sand Gaze, the Trescy McMillan, Cottons that you know, I'll remember the names. You know, the Zoetamoods is the brilliant, brilliant women I've taken the time to inform me, to educate me, to argue with me. You know, the Toronto Brooks who you know, we've laughed with me, talking about everything from sexual assaults

to just what life is like. M And I'll tell you, now, do yourself a favor. Um, you truly want to know what to do or how to do it or maybe the best way of the most the most equitable way talk to black women. They are there are a lot of the reason that I'm here. So I'm grateful to them. I'm grateful to every single one of you. This has been an honor. Thank you. The Daily Show with Trevor

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