USA TODAY ____________________ Search SUBSCRIBE NOWto get home delivery * USA TODAY * News * Sports * Life * Money * Tech * Travel * Opinion * Weather Icon + Humidity + Precip. + Winds Open settings Settings Enter City, State or Zip ____________________ Cancel Set Close settings Full Forecast * Crosswords * Elections 2016 * Investigations * Video * Stocks * Apps * Best-Selling Books * Classifieds * College * Corrections * Interactives * Newsletters * Photo Galleries * Portfolio Tracker * Scores * Newsstand * Audio * More + News + Sports + Life + Money + Tech + Travel + Opinion + Weather + Crosswords + Elections 2016 + Investigations + Video + Stocks + Apps + Best-Selling Books + Classifieds + College + Corrections + Interactives + Newsletters + Photo Galleries + Portfolio Tracker + Scores + Newsstand + Audio * * Search * Firefly Hi Already a subscriber? Sign In Subscribe today to additional USAToday products. Subscribe Now Already a print edition subscriber, but don't have a login? Activate your digital access. Manage your account settings. My Account Log Out Get the news Log In or Subscribe to skip Sign in with FacebookSign in with GoogleSign in FAQ 233 Share This Story! Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about FacebookEmailTwitterGoogle+LinkedInPinterest Noah plans a more social 'Daily Show' New 'Daily Show' host says his background informs his approach to late-night comedy. Loading… Post to Facebook ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ Noah plans a more social 'Daily Show' ______________________ ____________________________________________________________ New 'Daily Show' host says his background informs his appro ____________________________________________________________ Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/1KDYom {# IFRAME: http://api.recaptcha.net/noscript?k=6Lf7fuESAAAAAJ3_KMIDbkQySsEE0vMkLXU kq4eY #} CancelSend Sent! A link has been sent to your friend's email address. Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Join the Nation's Conversation To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs Noah plans a more social 'Daily Show' [writer_tv-Levin_Gary.png] Gary Levin, USA TODAY 7:14 p.m. EDT September 27, 2015 XXX TREVOR NOAH PORTAIT_TP0018.JPG D ENT USA NY South African comedian Trevor Noah in his offices at the 'The Daily Show With Trevor Noah' in New York, on Sept. 16, 2015. Noah will fill Jon Stewart's position as the third host of the show.(Photo: Todd Plitt, USA TODAY) CONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE NEW YORK — Trevor Noah is tackling his new job without an inspirational guiding light. “I love a piece of what everyone does,” he says when asked about his late-night influences. “I love the playful nature of John Oliver, I love the joy of Jimmy Fallon, I enjoy the laid-back nature, ironically, of Jon Stewart,” whom he replaces Monday as Comedy Central’s Daily Show host (11 p.m. ET/PT). “I love the brilliance and smarts of Stephen Colbert.” “For good and for bad, I never had a Letterman that I grew up with. We didn’t have late-night TV that way. I remember for a brief period we had Sinbad.” Sure, he’s a stand-up comedian like some of his counterparts, but at 31 he’s both younger and considerably farther from the typical late-night mold. “I come from a very poor background of extreme poverty; I lived in a home of domestic abuse,” he says of his upbringing in Soweto, South Africa, during apartheid, the son of a black mother and white father, a Swiss national. “The world you come from, or the things you experience, always help you to relate to the experiences of others,” he says, just as Colbert’s touching interview with Vice President Biden this month, about his late son Beau, was informed by the deaths of Colbert's father and two brothers in a 1974 plane crash. “You could not have had that had the two of them not shared loss,” Noah says, which “gives you the ability to ask and talk to people about things the way you would like to be asked and talked to.” Trevor Noah in one of his earlier 'Daily Show' appearances Trevor Noah in one of his earlier 'Daily Show' appearances (Photo: Comedy Central) Though he’s largely unknown in this country, Comedy Central president Michele Ganeless says Noah is a fitting replacement for the news satire. He was endorsed by Stewart, and rose to the top based on his qualifications for the job description: A funny, smart workaholic with a broad range of interests. “It’s the hardest job on TV, and that list gets very small, very quickly,” Ganeless says. “And the more time we spent with him in the process, the more it became clear he had a unique eye into the world” as a Millennial who can connect with the network’s audience. [635787805838784386-1-Trevor-Noah.jpg] USA TODAY Trevor Noah prepares for his 'Daily' dose His challenge is to keep them engaged even if they’re not policy wonks. Though politics remains “one of the core elements of the show,” Noah says, “we’re trying to find a way to comedically disseminate that information to people, because policy is horribly boring. How do you bridge that gap between boring information and making people understand why it matters to them? I’m very cognizant of people who may watch the show and go, 'Hey, I’m not a political guy.' Don’t watch the show because you’re into politics, watch the show because you’re into laughing.” Noah plans to usher Daily firmly into the social-media age. To date, that h mostly has involved sharing clips of each episode online. But a new team will produce original material for various platforms all week long. “For Jon, it wasn’t his world, and understandably so, (but) it’s very much a part of our lives. We’re more likely to take part in what’s happening in the discourse. The Daily Show will react to what is happening in more spheres than just cable news.” (In what she calls a radical departure, Ganeless promises the show will respond to breaking news in the moment, on Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter and elsewhere, the same way fans get their other news.) That instant judging has bitten him before: Noah’s years-old tweets of what some considered offensive jokes resurfaced shortly after his hiring, sparking an online outcry. [ap-tv-daily-show-noah.jpg?fit=440%2C330] ENTERTAIN THIS! Trevor Noah says his controversial old Twitter jokes were 'stupid' He says such outrage is impossible to ignore. “We live in an age for better and worse where everyone’s opinion is heard, and that is a good thing, but it is also a very bad thing. People can give you their opinions on politics and government and what’s happening in the world, but it also means people can tell you you look ugly in your Instagram picture.” But “for every crazy person on the corner shouting and screaming, there’s 100 people walking by with headphones on going, 'This is none of my business.' You have to look at the bigger picture. Sometimes it’s just noise.” He has little time for a personal life —“Right now, I’m dating my work; I don’t think I’d be a good boyfriend” — and says preparing for a job he couldn’t have dreamed of is “a petrifying experience. People go, ‘Oh, you don’t seem nervous at all.’ I go, ‘No, no, do not get it twisted; I am nervous.’ But it’s the same way I get nervous every time before I get on stage; you never lose that. It’s a nervous excitement, that’s what it is; it’s like skydiving. You feel what you’re about to do. You know what you need to do. But at the end of the day, you’re still jumping out of an airplane, and the ground is coming at you really, really fast.” [635737498284767226-Trevor-Noah-Daily-Show.jpg] USA TODAY 6 things gleaned from 'Daily Show' heir Noah's standup act CONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1KDYomr TOP VIDEOS * Rapper Mos Def arrested in South Africa Rapper Mos Def arrested in South Africa 00:49 * Janet Jackson reschedules postponed tour dates Janet Jackson reschedules postponed tour dates 00:38 * Singer Celine Dion's husband, Rene Angelil dies of cancer Singer Celine Dion's husband, Rene Angelil dies of cancer 00:44 * L.A. freeways turn into actual walls in 'Colony' L.A. freeways turn into actual walls in 'Colony' 01:05 * Critic's Corner: 'Angie Tribeca' an open question Critic's Corner: 'Angie Tribeca' an open question 00:50 * Experts weigh in on Oscars' lack of diversity Experts weigh in on Oscars' lack of diversity 02:15 * And the 2016 Oscar nominees are... And the 2016 Oscar nominees are... 03:00 * Alan Rickman's top 5 epic roles Alan Rickman's top 5 epic roles 00:57 * Nick Carter has been arrested for misdemeanour battery Nick Carter has been arrested for misdemeanour battery 00:49 * The films that got snubbed by Oscar nominations The films that got snubbed by Oscar nominations 02:08 * Film Critic Leonard Maltin weighs in on Oscars nominations Film Critic Leonard Maltin weighs in on Oscars nominations 02:26 * Cate Blanchett & Rooney Mara on the forbidden love in 'Carol' Cate Blanchett & Rooney Mara on the forbidden love in 'Carol' 02:00 * 'Revenant' Leads Oscar Nominations With 12 'Revenant' Leads Oscar Nominations With 12 00:42 * And the 2016 Oscar nominees are... And the 2016 Oscar nominees are... 03:00 * The most memorable Oscar Fashion over the years The most memorable Oscar Fashion over the years 01:09 * Leo DiCaprio: 'The Revenant' challenge was the cold Leo DiCaprio: 'The Revenant' challenge was the cold 00:56 * Brie Larson opens up about her character in the film "Room" Brie Larson opens up about her character in the film "Room" 02:24 * Matt Damon talks Martian potatoes Matt Damon talks Martian potatoes 02:02 * Bryan Cranston had to rein it in for 'Trumbo ' Bryan Cranston had to rein it in for 'Trumbo ' 01:01 * Academy Award winners who lost their Oscars Academy Award winners who lost their Oscars 01:09 * 2016 Razzie Award nominations are in 2016 Razzie Award nominations are in 01:25 * Academy Award winners who lost their Oscars Academy Award winners who lost their Oscars 01:09 * Weirdest places Oscar winners keep their awards Weirdest places Oscar winners keep their awards 01:04 * Making screen-accurate 'Star Wars' costumes isn't easy Making screen-accurate 'Star Wars' costumes isn't easy 02:50 * Critic's Corner: 'Colony' reunites 'Lost' star, producer Critic's Corner: 'Colony' reunites 'Lost' star, producer 00:51 * Critic's Corner: 'American Crime' is off to great start Critic's Corner: 'American Crime' is off to great start 01:03 * Snapchat could be poised to steal Facebook's ad revenue Snapchat could be poised to steal Facebook's ad revenue 00:49 * Trailer: 'Ride Along 2' Trailer: 'Ride Along 2' 02:26 * Critic's Corner: CW honors 20th anniversary of 'MADtv' Critic's Corner: CW honors 20th anniversary of 'MADtv' 00:55 * David Bowie's top five movie roles David Bowie's top five movie roles 01:38 * Canadian astronaut covers Bowie's 'Space Oddity' Canadian astronaut covers Bowie's 'Space Oddity' 05:30 MORE STORIES