Movies/TV

Trevor Noah Says Living Under Apartheid More Difficult For Mother Than For Him (Video)

October 30, 2015
Michelle Topham

trevor noah the daily show the ellen degeneres

You have to love the great attitude comedian Trevor Noah has when it comes to growing up poor and under apartheid in South Africa. Because when Ellen DeGeneres attempted to get him to act as if being a child in South Africa during apartheid was awful, Noah was having none of it.

Trevor Noah was on The Ellen DeGeneres Show this week talking about his new show The Daily Show. But, during the conversation, Ellen told him she had been to South Africa last summer, and then followed that with “But what a way to grow up. Tell everyone your story about growing up there. It’s really amazing”.



Noah looked a little surprised and then said, “It’s weird, because when people say that, I think I grew up normally”. He went on to explain that, sure, he grew up poor and with an outdoor toilet, but that’s how everyone lived in the area he was living in, so it didn’t seem odd to him.

But Ellen was fascinated with Noah living under apartheid when he was growing up. Especially as his father is white and his mother is black. So she stated, “That was a really tough time for you”.

Noah correct her immediately, and said, “For them (his parents), not for me.”

He then explained his mother had been arrested several times for just being in public with his father and that, when he went out with her she couldn’t hold his hand. But, like he said, that was normal to him.

“I just thought that’s what moms do. I had no other references to other moms, so I wasn’t like why is she not holding my hand, I was just like she’s independent. She’s cool.”

So, yes you have to love a positive attitude like the one Trevor Noah has. A man who refuses to be labeled as a victim, and sees his childhood for what it was. Probably not ideal, but not the “tough time” others would like to make it out to be.

Watch Trevor Noah on The Ellen Show in the video below. He’s a lovely, lovely man.
 

Michelle Topham
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