While his fellow late-night colleagues have left or are leaving their home studios, Noah is sticking with The Daily Social Distancing Show format. Partly because of concern for his crew and staff, including 25 crew members whom he's reportedly paying for out of pocket (though he won't discuss that). “If I say we’re going back to the studio, who’s gonna say no?” he tells Variety. “I don’t want to put them in a position where they feel like they have to say yes, or they might be injured.” He’s also been dismayed by what feels like a peculiar American urgency. “I do not wish to make the same mistake America made, and that is rushing to go back to normal when nothing is normal.” Noah also finds The Daily Social Distancing Show, with its focus on serious guests, more appealing at this moment, especially since he can wear a hoodie and host unshaven. “There is something wonderful about putting on a suit,” says Noah. “There’s a magic to it, a show-business thing to it. At the same time, sometimes I think maybe the show-business thing can negatively impact your ability to say what needs to be said and do what needs to be done.” Noah adds: “If Trevor Noah has an audience, Trevor Noah will always be a performer. If Trevor Noah doesn’t have an audience, then Trevor Noah is only focused on being a human being. And so I think that’s what this iteration of the show has given me. It has forced me to be more honest with not just the audience, but with myself.” ALSO: Noah's Daily Show correspondents discuss the benefits of working from home.
TOPICS: Trevor Noah, Comedy Central, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Coronavirus, Late Night