His stepfather shot his mother and tried to hunt him down.
Trevor Noah is the young comic who shot to overnight fame after he was named Jon Stewart’s replacement on The Daily Show.
Read More: Jon Stewart Jokes About Leaving Daily Show
But we're now learning about a terrible tragedy in Trevor’s life. His mother was shot in the face by her husband six years ago. The revelation was made today by the DailyMail.com.
"How Stepfather Of New 'Daily Show' Host Trevor Noah Tried To Hunt Him Down,” was the headline.
In a documentary called You Laugh But It’s True, Trevor described what happened, “The guy shot her in the head, there was blood everywhere. She see's me and she is trying to talk and I am just like 'Whoa!' I am gone."
He even brought up the tragedy in his standup routines.
One joke was, “She was shot twice. Once in the ass. Funny now, funny now. She was shot in the head. Oh, now it gets serious!”
According to published reports in South Africa, where Trevor was born, his stepfather threatened to kill the young comic.
Trevor was 25 when his mom was shot. Reportedly, he was so concerned about his safety that for a time he moved to the United States.
In an interview with The Daily Mail, Trevor's grandmother Nomalizo Noah said, "After shooting the mother Abel went around with a gun trying to find Trevor, but Trevor was always here, there and everywhere, performing on stage, you never knew where he was. So when Patricia's husband began to hunt him he couldn't find him."
His mother survived the shooting. She appeared with him in the documentary where she said, "I have a stiff jaw but that is minor."
The announcement that Trevor would replace Stewart stunned TV viewers because he was so little known.
But nobody knew until now that behind the laughter, there were also tears.
