What Now? with Trevor Noah
Episode: "Meet Joe Opio – My Favorite People"
Date: December 18, 2025
Guests: Joseph Opio (Ugandan standup, writer on The Daily Show), Eugene, Unidentified Female Friend
Host: Trevor Noah
Overview
In this episode, Trevor Noah invites his longtime friend and Daily Show writing collaborator Joseph Opio to hang out, reminisce, and answer probing, playful questions about culture, attitude, friendship, and life as an expatriate African in America. The conversation ranges from hilarious culture clashes to profound lessons on happiness, humility, and living authentically, with regular interruptions by friends who keep the dynamic loose, unscripted, and very genuine.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Why Joe Opio Is One of Trevor Noah’s “Favorite People”
- Spontaneity & Friendship: Trevor planned a relaxed hangout with Joe, but their friend Eugene's arrival turns it into an impromptu group session—showcasing the unscripted vibe that defines the podcast.
- Joe’s “Alien” Positivity: Trevor and Eugene remark on never seeing Joe moody or upset. Joe attributes this to being aware of his privilege, always “counting his blessings,” and not sweating small stuff.
- "I'm always like counting my blessings. Everything that has happened to me is way better than my craziest dreams.” – Joe (1:26:30)
2. From Uganda to NYC: Joe’s Unlikely Comic Journey
- Comic Career Genesis: Joe describes being a lawyer in Uganda, loving standup, then uprooting his life—first to South Africa, then NYC—to pursue comedy.
- Breaking into the US Scene:
- Joe’s first nights at the Comedy Cellar—waiting for the booker, talking his way into a spot, being comped food as an unknown African comic, and then notoriously giving Louis C.K. notes backstage.
- “I give Louis C.K. a note... and everyone loses their mind. They go like, yo, there's this African who gave Louis C.K. the Louis C.K.!” – Joe (0:45:32)
- Meeting Trevor Noah: Trevor recounts getting multiple messages: “There’s an African at the Cellar, is he yours?” illustrating the tight-knit yet othering dynamic for Africans in US comedy.
3. Joe’s Wide Tastes & Cultural Adaptability
- Ugandan Roots, Global Tastes:
- Joe credits the necessity of consuming “everything available” in Uganda—books, movies, music from around the world—resulting in both obscure and universal pop culture references.
- "A bad movie can have a great scene, the same way a great movie can have some bad scenes in it." – Joe (0:12:20)
- The surreal popularity of random movies ("Baby's Day Out") over global blockbusters in Uganda and other countries is discussed as an example of cultural variance.
- Language & 'Swordfishing':
- They riff on how South Africans, Indians, and others code-switch on Twitter—starting a sentence in English, ending in another language—leaving others confused.
- “To ‘Swordfish’ someone: to just bring up the most random instance. Nobody knows Swordfish!” – Trevor (0:8:42)
4. Navigating Social Norms & Culture Shock in America
- Accent & Self-Perception: Joe never knew he had an accent until leaving Uganda.
- “When I speak, I sound like Hugh Grant right now!” – Joe (0:14:03)
- Trevor affirms Joe’s astonishing English vocabulary and writing skill despite this.
- Cultural Clashes:
- Joe grabs, lifts, and plays with a stranger’s kid in a NYC park, panic among the (white) parents ensues—a scene both hilarious and revealing of unspoken rules.
- Joe explains: “In Uganda, that wouldn’t be weird. Babies are babies. They love it when you throw them!” (0:59:44)
- Similarly, Joe describes approaching subway cops directly—taboo for Black Americans, not remotely for a Ugandan.
5. Joe’s Attitude Toward Life, Stress, and Sleep
- Not Sweating the Small Stuff: Joe doesn’t waste energy on minor annoyances or perceived slights, e.g., people being late, others’ opinions, misplaced anger online.
- “You are complaining and bitching about a bird shitting on your Ferrari—but you have a Ferrari!” – Joe (1:93:51)
- Trust in Family: His siblings can access his money, but, “If they steal it, they must really need it.”
- Approach to Sleep:
- Joe claims to sleep only 3 hours a night—deliberately, to experience more life. He sets hourly alarms to savor waking up and realizing he has “more time.”
- "What you enjoy is the promise of sleep." (1:77:17)
- Trevor and others describe him as built differently—“alien”—with an unusual ability to thrive on so little rest.
- On Happiness:
- “When people complain about things, oh, this is not working out, my life, everything is working out. Literally. I walked into the Comedy Cellar, got a chance to perform. I walked into [the Daily] Show, got a chance to meet them.” (1:68:00)
- Joe’s joy persists regardless of circumstance. “If the Daily Show is taken away, I was me without it. If America is gone, I was dope before.” (1:84:01)
6. Authenticity and Self-Worth
- No Impostor Syndrome:
- Joe doesn’t worry if others see him as less skilled or smart. “I feel like I belong in the room because I’m in the room.”
- “You have the opposite of impostor syndrome,” Trevor observes.
- On Dating and Clothes:
- Why dress up for dates? “If you're gonna go on a date as your best self...then turn into your real self, how can you blame [someone] when they stop liking you?” (1:99:02)
- “I have so much aura, I don't need to add aura. If I add too much aura now with clothes... Trevor has no chance!”
7. Deep-Dive: The “Cruises” Obsession
- Cruise Ship Record:
- Joe has taken more than 25 cruises since 2016, often as the only young, Black passenger at special captains’ receptions.
- “When you have a Ugandan passport, every airport you go to, you’re almost taken to a corner...But many cruises, you can visit multiple countries without the visa stress.” (1:110:22)
- Finding What Works & Sticking With It:
- Be it cruise ships or Indian food, Joe reiterates, “If I find something I enjoy, I do that thing and I’ll do it... Why should I try to have found the thing that works for me?”
8. Uganda’s Outsized Place in Global Events
- Uganda as unlikely “Forest Gump” of world affairs—hosting Mandela and ANC activists, nearly becoming the Jewish homeland post-WWII, playing key roles in international incidents like the Entebbe raid.
- Joe on national identity: “I always think Uganda is the Forest Gump of international global relations. We’re always in the middle, but we’re so small.” (2:124:00)
9. Friendship, Loyalty, & Generosity
- Mutual Uplift:
- Joe describes how Trevor’s support changed his life; Trevor in turn credits Joe’s wisdom for helping him through the hardest days at The Daily Show.
- Joe recalls Trevor telling him, “If it doesn’t work out, promise me we’ll always be friends.” (2:129:38)
- Both men are lauded by friends for their non-transactional loyalty and inability to keep score in relationships.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
“To 'Swordfish' someone is to just bring up the most random instance. Nobody knows Swordfish!”
– Trevor Noah (08:42)
“I'm always like counting my blessings. Everything that has happened to me is way better than my craziest dreams.”
– Joe Opio (126:30)
“…You are complaining and bitching about a bird shitting on your Ferrari – but you have a Ferrari! ...How many other people would rather have that Ferrari with a bird poo?”
– Joe Opio (93:51)
“If you’re going to go on a date as your best self…and then turn into your real self, how can you blame them when they stop liking you?”
– Joe Opio (99:02)
“If you can buy two [ice creams] and not flinch, then buy one.”
– Trevor’s friend, cited by Trevor (134:17)
“I’m a Ugandan. Think about it…I’m working at The Daily Show. How many Ugandans get to do that? I don’t sweat the little stuff.”
– Joe Opio (68:25)
“I've never seen you depressed, sad, angry, all the, like, whatever we call them, like, neg. And not in, like, a fake way, by the way…It's like a state of being.”
– Trevor Noah to Joe (67:58)
Important Timestamps
- 03:57 - Trevor’s introduction of Joseph Opio; Table tennis and hangout dynamic
- 06:48 - Pressure of paying for a date and referencing “Swordfish” (hacking scene)
- 10:00 - Joe’s unusual cultural & intellectual range
- 14:03 - Accent, self-perception, and writing
- 18:26 - Organic food confusion & culture shocks in America
- 22:52 - Mistaken for a child soldier from “Beasts of No Nation”
- 31:03 - South African code-switching on Twitter; language and identity
- 45:32 - Joe giving Louis CK comedy notes at the Comedy Cellar
- 59:44 - Joe grabbing and playing with a random baby in a NYC park
- 68:00 - Joe’s life philosophy: always “hashtag winning”
- 77:17 - Joe’s sleep strategy: waking up every hour to enjoy knowing there’s more sleep/time
- 84:01 - On happiness despite losing jobs, money, or status
- 93:51 - “Bird on a Ferrari” analogy and not sweating small stuff
- 99:02 - Thoughts on authenticity, dating, and self-acceptance
- 110:22 - Joe’s cruise obsession; escaping visa hassles
- 124:00 - Uganda’s surprisingly pivotal role in world history
Conclusion
This episode is a masterclass in cross-cultural friendship, resilience, and perspective. It blends unfiltered humor with insightful conversation, highlighting how attitude, humility, and authenticity shape life far more than circumstance. Whether discussing comedy, migration, language, or why not to dress up for a date, Joe Opio stands out as a unique—perhaps alien—presence in Trevor’s orbit, and the show’s warmth and candor are a testament to their bond.