The world’s a bit of a mess right now – maybe Trevor, Christiana, and Josh can come up with some fixes. It’s another If I Ruled the World episode. This week’s suggestions are… intimate? Their rulings are infiltrating your screens, bedrooms, and minds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In another “My Favorite People” episode, Trevor chats with South African comedian and dear friend Eugene Khoza. From processing loss to abundance, from friendship to religion, from hanging on to letting go, nothing is off limits in this hilarious and profound episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Trevor Noah and guests discuss Elon Musk's influence, comparing him to figures like Peter Thiel and Donald Trump. They explore Musk's relationship with Silicon Valley, his political motivations, and whether he's a visionary or a scam artist. The conversation also touches on the broader implications of unchecked wealth and power in the tech industry.
Trevor Noah, Christiana, and Scott Galloway delve into the economic and social crises impacting the world, focusing on the struggles of young men and the masculinity crisis. They examine the influence of wealth, the role of political systems, and the importance of community, offering potential solutions for societal improvement. They also touch on geopolitical issues, the American identity, and the future of democracy.
Tressie McMillan Cottom is back on the podcast. Tressie, Trevor, and Christiana discuss Donald Trump’s Tesla infomercial at the White House, the psychology of the American voter, and why so many of us unwittingly vote for candidates whose views are actually the opposite of ours. The three also explore our tendency to not appreciate what we have until it’s gone, and how that ties into America’s current war on women. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie joins Trevor and Christiana to discuss her new novel and how she approaches the alchemy of writing fiction. The three also discuss the challenge of exchanging opposing ideas in today’s world, when joke telling may be crossing the line, and why Chimamanda declines to be on social media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Trevor, Christiana, and Josh cover some big news – Christiana just gave birth to her third child! It leads them to a discussion of how motherhood is framed by society, its impact on the family and the economy, and how to find and utilize community to help manage its trials and tribulations. But being who they are, the three friends also delve into the exporting of Trump’s politics into the world and whether corruption is desirable or even necessary for countries to succeed. Learn more about your...
Trevor Noah, Christiana, and historian Rutger Bregman delve into the debate of human nature, exploring whether humans are inherently good or selfish. They discuss historical examples, societal structures, and the impact of privilege on perceptions of kindness and morality. The conversation examines wealth disparity, the role of capitalism, and the potential for moral ambition to drive positive change, challenging listeners to redefine success and contribute to a better world.
We’ve got a new type of episode for you. In this premiere “My Favorite People” ep, Trevor chats with his longtime friend (indeed one of his favorite people), Khaya Dlanga. Khaya’s a South African writer, commentator, and Youtube OG. No topic is off limits, and the two discuss the world around us, how Khaya manages to be the most online person he knows and at the same time one of the most present, and what makes a great politician. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoi...
Halle Berry, Trevor Noah, and Christiana discuss women's longevity, menopause, and Halle's new mission to promote conversations and provide tools for women experiencing this life stage. They explore the lack of information and resources, the impact on relationships, and Halle's personal journey to break down stigmas and empower women. Berry shares her experiences, discusses her new company ReSpin Health, and advocates for more research and open conversations.
Trevor Noah, Christiana, and Ruha Benjamin discuss DEI's shortcomings, the complexities of representation, and universities' roles in suppressing dissent. They explore the nuances of perspective, AI's potential biases, and the importance of cultural preservation through technology. The conversation also delves into challenging established norms and imagining alternative, more inclusive futures.
Trevor, Grammy Executive Producer Ben Winston, and Trevor’s good friend Sizwe Dhlomo take us deep behind the scenes of music’s biggest night. The trio discusses the decision to hold the event against the backdrop of the L.A. fires, how a series of unrelated missed calls made Ben think Trevor was dropping out, Beyonce’s at long last first album of the year win, and the unique challenges of putting on a live television event with so many music superstars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit po...
Trevor is home in South Africa. He and his good friends Anele Mdoda and Sizwe Dhlomo have a spirited conversation about the big issues that worry them as we hurtle into 2025. They discuss whether the global experiment is failing, revolution as a form of positive societal connection, and how external forces shape us and our children. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Trevor and Christiana sit down with noted author and political scientist Robert Putnam. They discuss why community is now more essential than ever, both for the survival of democracy and for our very survival as a species. The three also debate whether social media diminishes our social capital, and why more people bowl in America than vote. (Hint: If more people bowled America would be more united). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Required drug taking? Assigned partnerships? Getting rid of politicians? Trevor, Christiana, and Josh are back with maybe their wildest “If I Ruled the World” yet. See which of their inspired ideas will get voted through, and why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Trevor and Christiana chat with YouTuber Marques Brownlee, professionally known as MKBHD and famous for his incredibly popular videos reviewing technology devices. The trio discusses how to survive and thrive in this era of nichification, fake outrage on the internet and its impact on creators, and whether AI is experiencing a PR nightmare or if in fact it will actually be able to kill us in our sleep. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Happy New Year! To get the year started off right, we’re re-publishing one of our favorite episodes from 2024. Trevor and Christiana chatted with Jia Tolentino in May of last year; 8 months later, and Ozempic is still a hot topic. Ozempic. It started with a lizard, and then transformed into a drug that, depending on who you ask, is either a miracle or the downfall of society. New Yorker writer and cultural critic Jia Tolentino joins Trevor and Christiana to give context on the media circus surro...
Trevor, Christiana, and author/inspirational speaker Simon Sinek delve into the paradox of why the smartest and most competent people at a company are often not its leaders. They also dissect whether office gossip is essential oral history or the literal tool of destruction of a company, and how (and why) Milton Friedman ruined value based capitalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the wake of the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, the internet is awash with hot takes on health insurance and hot memes of everyone’s favorite assassin-bae. The facts may still be developing, but that’s not stopping Trevor, Christiana, and Josh from sharing their “sweeping judgements” on the matter. Is Luigi Mangione guilty? Not guilty? Hot guilty? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Trevor and Christiana sit down with Chappelle's Show co-creator and former Daily Show colleague Neal Brennan. The three friends discuss the importance of familial dysfunction to a life of comedy, whether jokes about racism, sexism, transphobia, and the like help or hurt move the human race forward in today’s climate, and the rise and fall of anger as a way of life. Well, of Neal’s life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
On Thanksgiving week, we give thanks to our listeners with a bonus episode where Trevor, Christiana, and Josh weigh in on your suggestions for their favorite game, If I Ruled the World. Suffice it to say the trio doesn’t hold back. Enjoy, thank you for being a listener, and Happy Thanksgiving!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Trevor enlists the help of noted therapist Esther Perel to help design the perfect relationship model. They talk through all the phases–where to find someone, the perfect date, defining the relationship, weathering storms, sex, and even how to end things. Nothing’s off the table! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Malcolm Gladwell sits down with Trevor and Christiana to discuss his new book, and why values should be held tightly but ideas should be held loosely. The trio also delve into the importance of television in shaping culture, and into their respective African roots (yes, Malcolm has African roots). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Donald Trump will be president again. Trevor, Christiana, and Josh are joined once again by Tressie McMillan Cottom to puzzle through whether Trump won this election, or Harris lost it. Plus, they offer their picks for the best post-election playlist ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Trevor and Christiana call on Tressie McMillan Cottom to help them make sense of the final week before the US presidential election. Together, they unpack Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden, why certain groups are planning to vote against their own interests, and how Tucker Carlson’s web browser history may be impacting his politics. Fortunately we can all exhale next week. Or not. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Lupita Nyong’o joins Trevor and Christiana to discuss her new podcast and its colorful stories of the African diaspora. The three also discuss their multifaceted identities, why Lupita refuses to expect rejection, and get into a debate for the ages–can they crown a “best” African country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
With the release of Trevor’s new children’s book “Into the Uncut Grass”, Trevor sits down with some actual kids, plus Christiana and Josh, to discuss what being a kid is like from their perspective, what adults often get wrong about being a child, and whether it really takes a village to raise them right. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Bestselling author Ta-Nehisi Coates joins Trevor and Christiana to discuss his new book about how the stories we tell, and the ones we don’t, shape our realities. They also unpack the jaw-dropping CBS interview that followed the book’s release, and our elusive search as a people to see the humanity in others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Trevor and Christiana speak with Yuval Noah Harari, whose latest book, Nexus, asks, if humans are so smart, why do we do so many stupid things? The three of them interrogate truth vs. fact, the threats and promises of AI, and how these questions connect to global issues like the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Trevor enlists the help of journalist and author Michael Pollan (This is Your Mind on Plants, Omnivore’s Dilemma) as they try to convince Christiana of the positive impacts of therapeutic psychedelics and their current standing in society. Do they succeed? You be the judge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
