One Show, Two Takes: I Wish You Would

Trevor Noah’s third Netflix special I Wish You Would was released by the world’s number one streaming service on 22 November, following 2017’s Afraid of the Dark and 2018’s Son of Patricia. 

In the special, Noah does what he does best — celebrate humanity in a witty way. 

I’ll admit during the first 10 minutes I wasn’t convinced; I thought maybe Noah had finally lost his edge. I was wrong, obviously. My expectations, coupled with distractions from social media, were holding me back from the full experience, so I decided to sit back, relax and let the punchlines roll in. 

I Wish You Would was shot in Toronto, Canada, the perfect backdrop to explore jokes from a global point of view without worrying about offending everyone, ie America. 

Noah does an exceptional job of pointing out our similarities while appealing to Canadians in the audience. He jokes about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and, in true Noah style, makes you think about a time when you were Trudeau-ing.

It’s clear Noah knew that, by the time the world saw the special, news of his departure from The Daily Show would have caught on. Almost as a farewell, he gives his political observations, honest point of view as an immigrant and delivers the exceptional impersonations he’s famous for from the late-night talk show. He does a number of presidents — JFK, Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden — while making his point about America only electing leaders with weird voices.

Noah taped the last episode of The Daily Show on 8 December and, now that he’s a free agent, I think hosting Saturday Night Live is the perfect next gig. I would love to see what other impersonations he has in his arsenal  and it might help him show a different side of his comedy, swerving slightly away from political commentary. 

The massively talented comedian is only 38 and has a total of 11 comedy specials. His career has sky-rocketed so much in the seven years of hosting The Daily Show, we forget he was virtually unknown to the world before Jon Stewart made the announcement he would take over his seat.

I remember watching him at Gold Reef City with friends — he was a breath of fresh air — a relief from the slapstick routines some South African comedians made us suffer through. 

Here was this young black guy with relatable, smart observations about topics such as the ANC and former president Jacob Zuma. 

Watching Noah then felt like watching a conversation with friends — he was saying all the things we all secretly thought but with a deeper message about South African society.

In this hour and a half special, Noah continues to be consistent. 

He successfully manages to talk about Queen Elizabeth’s death, “the slap” and the pandemic without making us feel like we’ve heard this all before. 

What makes I Wish You Would funny is not always the subject matter, it’s the point of view and delivery. It’s funny because it’s relatable. It’s that x-factor we can’t put our fingers on when it comes to Emmy-winning comedian Noah. 

His jokes sound easy and familiar — he’s a teacher without preaching, similar to his idol Chris Rock. — Gugulethu Tshabalala 

The last three years have been a colossal shit show. Sorry, there’s no other way to put it. We were stuck at home for what was meant to be 21 days — laugh with me somebody — but turned out to be an eternity. 

Parents became teachers, the office moved into our homes and those of us in South Africa were turned into suburban small-time criminals, smuggling wine and other alcohol contraband while trying to manage our anxiety. It was funny, not funny.

There were only two comedians whose take on life I was eager to hear during the pandemic: Dave Chappelle (who has had three Netflix specials since 2020) and Trevor Noah. For two reasons, 1. Chappelle is a comedic genius and never treats us with kid gloves and 2. Noah is a South African who found himself hosting a big late-night show in America. 

Before this Netflix special hit our screens, he announced his departure from The Daily Show after seven years. His last show was emotional; he tearfully thanked black women for teaching him everything he knows. He had celebrities like Kerry Washington and Oprah Winfrey singing his praises for being a beacon of light during a really dark time in humanity’s history. Noah’s commentary on the Black Lives Matter movement, living under the Donald Trump administration and the Ukraine-Russia war was sharp, considered and exceptional. He made us laugh when we were suffering from severe sense of humour failure.

This is why I couldn’t wait to watch I Wish You Would, and after 10 minutes of the comedy special, I knew it was going to be stellar. From Queen Elizabeth’s death to a certain sector of America refusing to wear masks during the pandemic, the 38-year-old comedian pulls some strong left hooks and leaves us rolling on the floor with laughter. 

And trust, it’s not a Trevor Noah set without some weird, I should say “quirky”, jokes. There’s the “asshole genie”, who gave us everything we wanted at the height of the pandemic and the quip likening aliens to intellectually challenged conspiracy theorists. Those who watched his debut one-man show The Daywalker will remember his weirdly hilarious monologue about Vernacular (I literally just chuckled to myself remembering that), the South African version of Dracula.

I’ve been lucky enough to see Noah perform more than once and his brand of comedy is exactly the kind that appeals to me. Now, I know these days comedy has become quite a divisive form of entertainment — everything is offensive, everyone is sensitive — and it’s become increasingly difficult to laugh in public lest you offend someone (ask Will Smith), but I believe we still, now more than ever, need comedians.

Admittedly, some of them could use some sensitivity training, and to be fair, not every brand of comedy suits everyone. For instance, Ricky Gervais does nothing for me. Never has, probably never will. But I can see how some can find him hilarious. I may not agree with his views but I will fight for your right to go see him live, as long as I don’t have to. 

As Trevor Noah leaves The Daily Show desk to get his passport stamped and make the world laugh, I look forward to his comedy tour and hearing his take on life, relationships, world leaders, women and everything in between. — Lerato Tshabalala