Trevor Noah is back to host the 66th annual Grammy Awards for the fourth year in a row, and he knows the audience doesn’t owe him their laughs.
Just on the heels of winning an Emmy for Outstanding Variety Talk Series, his second Emmy in total, Noah will serve as master of ceremonies for the 2024 Grammy Awards taking place on CBS on Feb. 4 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
The “Daily Show” alum is also a producer of the show that has confirmed performances from Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Olivia Rodrigo, Travis Scott, Burna Boy, and Luke Combs.
Singer SZA leads the Emmy nominations with nine. Rodrigo, Eilish, Taylor Swift, Boygenius, Miley Cyrus, Jon Batiste, and Victoria Monét are all competing against SZA for Record of the Year.
With many expected to tune in to music’s biggest night, Noah takes great pride in his hosting and producer role.
“It’s exciting. It is rewarding. It’s a little nerve-wracking. I guess all of the feelings combined into one cocktail that hopefully culminates in a pleasurable experience on the night,” he tells BLACK ENTERPRISE.
As a standup comedian whose new comedy special, “Where Was I?,” premiered on Netflix last month, Noah knows firsthand how tough crowds can be on a comic. Comedian Jo Koy faced backlash for his recent hosting job at the 81st Golden Globes. Kevin Hart even turned down
hosting the 2022 Oscars due to his belief that awards shows “aren’t comedy-friendly environments anymore,” Variety reported.However, Noah sees it differently and doesn’t think the audience owes him anything as host and comedian. He knows it’s his job to either make people laugh or try harder.
“If it was guaranteed that people would laugh, then there would be no comedians because then what is the purpose of what you’re doing? So the very nature of the job implies that sometimes people might not laugh. So I think I understand that as a comedian, and I’ve always embraced that,” he says. “I understand that the audience isn’t supposed to laugh. I’m trying to make them laugh. This is a dance that I’m performing with them.”
Fans might miss watching Noah host “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central every weekday night. But he didn’t leave us waiting for too long, as he launched his Spotify podcast, “About What Now? with Trevor Noah” in November 2023. So far he’s sat down for candid, in-depth discussions with the likes of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Bill Gates, Kerry Washington, and Da Baby.
Noah is excited to take his show into 2024 as he knows how important his conversations will be during the presidential election.
“I think it’s really crucial for us to find ways to have conversations and to
speak to not just people but ideas that we either disagree with, or struggling to grapple with, so that we can build a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world that we live in,” Noah says. “And that’s that’s what I’m going to be trying to do as the show progresses.”RELATED CONTENT: Trevor Noah Will Return To Grammys Stage As Host For Fourth Time