What Now? with Trevor Noah
Trevor currently hosts a weekly podcast titled What Now? with Trevor Noah. In this new podcast, listeners get a chance to hear Trevor like never before. Trevor is joined each episode by celebrities, thought leaders, athletes, and friends to chat about the contemporary topics on everyone’s minds. He brings the kinds of conversations that happen behind the scenes to light - full of radical candor, authentic back-and-forths, and honest reactions, with Trevor bringing to bear his classic, effortlessly playful and equally probing style.
Get in touch with us! Send your voice recordings to whatnow@dayzeroproductions.com with suggestions for topics, guests, or what you would do If You Ruled the World and we may just use it on the show!
Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of What Now ad-free. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
51
Harris-Trump Debate Debrief with Tressie McMill...
Trevor, Christiana, Josh, and NY Times columnist (and friend of the show) Tressie McMillan Cottom break down last night’s presidential debate. Together they unpack whether Trump still has his finger on the pulse or has lost his touch, Christiana explains the real reason Trump was befuddled by Kamala, and the group ponders where we go from here.
57 min
52
The Elon Effect
Elon Musk is officially beefing with the Brazilian government and of course Trevor, Christiana, and Josh have lots to say about it. In the wake of the X ban, they discuss how Elon’s past circumstances color his world view, the phenomena of powerful white men who feel powerless, and whether Elon deserves, dare they say it, some empathy.
53 min
53
The Trad Wife Paradox with Anne Helen Petersen
Trevor, Christiana, and noted writer and journalist Anne Helen Petersen discuss the growing #tradwife trend, the ideological conviction that a woman’s sole and highest purpose is to be her spouse’s modest, subservient helpmate, and that anything less is ungodly. Why do more women now seem to be taking on this mantle? Are cleaning, cooking, and total submission truly the path to godliness, or have we fallen so far off the societal cliff that women are simply exhausted?
56 min
54
If I Ruled the World: Petty is Power
The gang’s back with another If I Ruled the World. Christiana’s advocating for subsidized (and mandatory) world travel, Trevor’s looking to nix required friendliness, and Josh thinks the world should be a little more petty. Everyone’s in top form.
60 min
55
Adam Grant Gives Trevor An Intellectual Wedgie
What do you do when your values are tested? Trevor and organizational psychologist Adam Grant discuss this very timely question, as well the importance of discourse in reducing prejudice, the science of keeping an open mind, and whether Trevor might have missed his true calling.
52 min
56
Trevor's In Paris, But Not At The Olympics?!
Trevor, Christiana, and Josh talk all things Olympics: the wins, the viral moments, what in the world is 3 on 3 basketball, and how Trevor is in Paris but decided not to attend in person. One thing they can all agree on: this episode, per the GOAT Simone Biles, they aren’t asking “What Now”?
53 min
57
Control Your Scroll with Jiore Craig
When it comes to disinformation, our first instinct is often to ask is this real or fake? But disinformation expert Jiore Craig says that way of thinking misses a much bigger problem. Trevor, Christiana, and Jiore examine how political powers and corporations use information channels to push their agendas, and how we can start pushing back on the systems enabling lies.
53 min
58
The Kamala Question with Tressie McMillan Cottom
Sociologist and NYT columnist Tressie McMillan Cottom joins Trevor, Christiana, and Josh as they unpack Biden dropping out, Kamala’s nomination, and where we’re at in this ever evolving (some might say devolving) political landscape.
48 min
59
The Trump Assassination Attempt: What Now?
Trevor and Christiana are joined by Jody Avirgan, one of What Now?’s Executive Producers. In the wake of the July 13th assassination attempt on Donald Trump, they discuss people’s fascination with how the event “moves the plot forward,” the impact of the media’s need to feed the 24-hour news cycle with “developing story” updates (both accurate and inaccurate), and whether the greater issue at stake is actually America’s self-image and a failure to learn from historic moments.
45 min
60
Questlove Isn't Manif*cking Around
DJ, drummer, author, and Roots frontman Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Trevor discuss “50 Years of Hip Hop” at the Grammys and his book Hip Hop is History. Questlove also divulges to Trevor the names of all 432 people who get his weekly playlist (no he doesn’t) and reveals all the celebrities who come to his legendary game nights (he doesn’t reveal that either but it’s still a fantastic conversation).
58 min
61
Doctor Roger Federer Will See You Now
Roger Federer and Trevor break down how moving on from major chapters in their lives has affected each of them and how Roger's desire to document the moment accidentally turned into the powerful documentary, Federer: Twelve Final Days. The two also discuss the future, their friendship, and their attendance record breaking tennis match for charity in South Africa which, surprisingly, Roger won.
54 min
62
Trevor Takes On Tokyo
Trevor’s in Japan with his good friends, Anele Mdoda and Khaya Dlanga. Together they dissect cultural taboos, savor otherworldly grapes, and marvel at toilets. All the while trying to find the balance between society and self.
45 min
63
Welcome To The Julia Louis-Dreyfus Brain Museum
There’s probably only one actress who can try to strangle, burn, and eat “Death,” and still manage to make us laugh. And that’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus in her new movie Tuesday. Trevor and Julia dissect their own experiences with grief, explain why all American politicians should be required to take drivers’ education, and share their hope for the future of comedy.
45 min
64
Jessica Alba Is Standing in Her Power
Actor and entrepreneur Jessica Alba discusses the challenges and the misogyny she faced starting The Honest Company, how she slowly reclaimed her identity, and why ten years later she has stepped away from the company. She and Trevor also debate whether it’s better to be killed with a gun or with a knife (on a movie set, not in real life where both are bad).
48 min
65
Jerrod Carmichael Knows He’s Cringe and Likes It
Yes it’s true, Jerrod Carmichael sucks another man’s toes on premium cable TV. In his new reality series Jerrod attempts to free himself – and others – of the shame that comes with the messiness of being human. Trevor and Jerrod analyze the show’s funny and poignant moments and why fighting for love is always worth it.
49 min
66
There’s No I In Trevor Noah
It’s everyone’s favorite game: If I Ruled the World! Trevor makes a case to ban all social media, Christiana argues that Bill Gates should staff the PTA bake sale, and Ben declares a weekly day of rest for all – whether you want it or not!
58 min
67
Why AI Won’t Destroy Us with Microsoft’s Brad S...
Trevor puts on a suit (no, he’s not returning to The Daily Show) and heads to Microsoft. This week Brad Smith, Vice Chairman and President of Microsoft talks AI, explains why he doesn’t believe it will be the end of humankind, and what we all have to do to keep it that way.
39 min
68
The Ozempic Obsession with Jia Tolentino
Ozempic. It started with a lizard, and then transformed into a drug that, depending on who you ask, is either a miracle or the downfall of society. New Yorker writer and cultural critic Jia Tolentino joins Trevor and Christiana to give context on the media circus surrounding weight loss drugs, and how Ozempic is changing the conversation around fatness in America.
48 min
69
Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias and the Art of Mentoring
If it wasn’t for Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, a trip to Footlocker could have ended Trevor’s career. Iglesias shares about his journey to become the headlining, stadium-filling comedian known to millions as Fluffy. The two pull the curtain back on the 2012 tour that introduced Trevor to stand-up in the United States, and Fluffy explains why mentorship comes naturally, as long as you surround yourself with the comedians who really make you laugh.
50 min
70
A Friendship Revolution with Rhaina Cohen
Trevor is finally getting married! Just kidding. Rhaina Cohen, author of The Other Significant Others, helps Trevor, Christiana, and Josh envision a society where marriage isn’t the only committed relationship we rely on and makes the case for profound emotional friendships.
50 min
71
A Case for Compassion
This week on the podcast… Amazon’s Wizard of Oz moment. Plus, Trevor invents a new dating app, why Josh has the perfect name for big corporations, and Christiana announces she’s raising the first Nigerian president of the United States. But the big idea Trevor, Christiana, and Josh get into: masculinity, violence, and why young people, especially young men, are harming others out of a genuine sense of alienation. And Josh makes a case for compassion (let the record stand, he’s no incel!).
54 min
72
Orlando Bloom’s Life on the Edge
Trevor chats with actor, adventurer, and producer Orlando Bloom, who takes Trevor behind the scenes of his thrill-seeking new documentary series, To the Edge. Orlando also talks about his early career, discusses why one terrifying fall from a balcony changed his life, and reveals why Katy Perry talks to him about “the sandcastle of life.”
52 min
73
Eclipse Week
With Trevor back from a week in Bhutan where he just may have found inner peace (unless it was just something he ate), this week Trevor, Christiana Mbakwe Medina, and Josh Johnson discuss ROCKS—those on the ground, those in space, and the one who goes by Dwayne Johnson. They also debate whether pushups can cure a gambling addiction and why the sun will always be the greatest scapegoat.
47 min
74
Some Fun Thought Experiments
To celebrate the season’s halfway mark, Trevor and his friends Josh Johnson and Christiana Mbakwe Medina share some never-before-heard moments from Trevor’s favorite episodes and revisit some of the show’s most fun “thought experiments” to date. And they all still swear they’re not conspiracy theorists, but you be the judge.
48 min
75
The Meaning of Life With Rainn Wilson
Trevor is joined by Josh Johnson and actor, writer, and host of the Soulboom podcast Rainn Wilson to talk all things modern spirituality, the suspicious similarities between cults and video games, and what to do when somebody starts describing their star chart at a party. Trevor also explains why his favorite Bible story proves that Jesus loved to party.
47 min