Trevor Noah, the incoming host of “The Daily Show” told Newsweek on Monday that “women are more powerful than men in comedy” despite the lack of female hosts in late night.
Vanity Fair magazine shared a photograph on Monday that accompanied a feature on the “new faces, shows, and platforms” in the late-night comedy world. It showed Noah, who is set to take over “The Daily Show” following Jon Stewart’s retirement, among an all-male group of comedians.
We talked to all the titans of late-night television, and found out why it’s better than ever http://t.co/pIG1c7wSs1 pic.twitter.com/p8EgyB5jva
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) September 14, 2015
The Internet proceeded to mock the lack of diversity in the photograph.
“Yes, that Vanity Fair (spread) is all men, which is what it is,” Noah told Newsweek. “But I guess what we need to look at is how is that evolving? The first step in that is you go, OK, there’s two men of color. That’s a big jump. Pretty soon there will be a woman that’ll be added to that. And there will probably be more women, which is gonna be fantastic. And over time, that’ll happen; it’s a conversation that we need to continue having.”
Noah then pointed to some of the best comedians in the business — who happen to be women.
“I don’t agree with the notion that there are no women in comedy,” Noah told the publication. “I would even argue that women are more powerful than men in comedy right now. If you look at the top comedy actors, Melissa McCarthy by far is killing most of the numbers of other actors. You look at Amy Schumer right now—I would argue that there is no more preeminent voice in comedy. Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, their movies coming out.”
Read Newsweek’s full interview.
I will have to wait until I laugh at something he says before I trust his judgment on comedy.
I disagree with Noah.
The Republican Party is enjoying unprecedented success in comedy, propelled by a nearly all-male slate of Jesters.
The unfunny guy who didn’t have to go begging for a late night slot but instead it came to him, is naive about women and their power. Chances are that any woman making a comedy does not have it handed to her but instead had to prove she was worthy even McCarthy and Schumer.
While I completely agree with his take on women in comedy movies. He lost me here:
That’s some “wait your turn” and “get to the back of the line” bullshit.
It’s the ultimate irony of ironies that some much political energy is being spent on whom gets to sit where in comedy. Comedy. COMEDY!!