South African Trevor Noah makes history with Emmy win
South African comedian Trevor Noah has won an Emmy award in the outstanding talk series category for his talk show The Daily Show, at the Peacock Theater on 15 January 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
With the win, Noah makes history as the first African and first black person to win an Emmy for outstanding talk series since the category’s introduction in 2015.
“It’s amazing that I get to be a part of this journey. It feels like being part of a winning football team,” Noah said after securing the win.
Noah posted a clip of the show winning the award on Instagram, writing in the caption: “So… this happened. What a night last night! Big congrats again to the entire [The Daily Show] team! Thank you [the Television Academy] for this absolute honour!”
The comedian has been nominated for the Emmy category five times before, but his sixth nomination, which he earned in his final season hosting The Daily Show, finally secured him the win.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Noah is “the first Black person to win an Emmy for outstanding talk series”. The comedian reposted an image from the publication sharing the news, writing in the caption, “what an honour it is to make this kind of history on MLK day!”
The predecessor category for best variety talks series was the award for outstanding variety, music, or comedy series; the last time a person of colour received an honour in the predecessor category was when In Living Color won the award in 1990, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
President Cyril Ramaphosa also congratulated Noah on X (formerly known as Twitter). “Congratulations to [Trevor Noah] on winning a prestigious Emmy Award,” said Ramaphosa.
“Winning outstanding talk series in a very competitive scene is no laughing matter. Trevor is part of a stellar cast of South Africans globally whose diverse talents and skills are enjoyed and valued wherever they go,” the president added.
In September 2022, Noah shocked many of his fans when he announced his exit from The Daily Show, after seven years as host. The search for his replacement is still ongoing.
Noah has another Emmy award, which he earned in 2017 for an Outstanding Short Form Variety Series. The Emmy awards are the most prestigious honours in the US television industry.
Noah was also nominated for a Golden Globe in the category of best performance in stand-up comedy on television, which was won by Ricky Gervais. Noah is also nominated for a Grammy in the category of best comedy album.
Source: BBC
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