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Trevor Noah hosted the 2024 Grammy Awards, marking his fourth consecutive turn at the helm of the ceremony. The comedian announced that he would return to the Grammy stage in an episode of his podcast, "What Now? with Trevor Noah," in December, about a month after the Recording Academy unveiled its list of nominees.
"I'm hosting the Grammys. Yeah, I'm excited about that. It's a lot of fun," he said. "I enjoy the Grammys because I just ... I get to watch the show in person and then just experience some comments on it in person while it is happening."
He took the stage for music's biggest night on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
SZA led the list of Grammy nominations list with nine, followed by Phoebe Bridgers, Serban Ghenea and Victoria Monét with seven. Jack Antonoff, Jon Batiste, boygenius, Brandy Clark, Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift all followed closely behind.
A comedian and best-selling author, Trevor Noah began his television career in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he was born, before moving to the United States. He is best known as the former host of Comedy Central's late-night program "The Daily Show," which he took on after the previous host Jon Stewart's departure in 2015.
Noah's next seven years in the role catapulted him into the global spotlight and earned him a number of accolades, including two Emmy Awards. TIME magazine recognized him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2018.
It's a long way from his childhood in apartheid-era South Africa, which he described in his 2016 memoir, "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood." Noah has credited his mother for getting him through difficult times.
He first hosted the Grammy Awards in 2021 and has returned to do the honors again every year since.
Noah shared his thoughts on hosting Sunday's ceremony in an interview with "CBS Mornings" co-anchor Gayle King as part of the show's "Road to the Grammys" series.
"I don't know what's going to happen," he said. "So that's what I love about the Grammys is it's live; it's happening; it's on the fly."
Despite his past hosting experience at the Grammys, Noah admitted that the role can be "particularly nerve-wracking."
"Here's the thing about award shows is everybody loves the joke when it's not about them, and your goal and your hope is to tell a joke about the person that they also think is funny. So, it's difficult. And I think every comedian understands this," Noah said.
"I think what makes the Grammys particularly nerve-wracking for me is like, these are superstars," he continued. "I don't wanna get on the wrong side of Taylor Swift fans. So you're trying to walk this fine line of being, you know, the comedian, but then also still being nice about the night."
Trevor Noah is widely recognized as Jon Stewart's successor on "The Daily Show," which he hosted from September 2015 until December 2022. The year before he became host, Noah was a senior international correspondent on the show.
He was also featured as the voice of Griot in the movies "Black Panther" and "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."
Noah worked extensively in comedy spaces, as well as in TV and radio, in South Africa before joining "The Daily Show." He held a few hosting spots during his time with the South African Broadcasting Corporation, and he eventually created and hosted his own late-night talk show on the network, which was called "Tonight with Trevor Noah." It ran from 2010 to 2011.
After moving to the U.S. in 2011, Noah became the first South African comedian to perform on "The Tonight Show" and the "Late Show with David Letterman."
Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She covers breaking news, often focusing on crime and extreme weather. Emily Mae has previously written for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.
First published on February 4, 2024 / 12:00 PM EST
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