Inside Trevor Noah’s Complex Family Relationships with His Parents and Siblings

Trevor Noah is a stand-up comedian from South Africa, where the harsh apartheid government tried to ban being black. His family’s relationships and interactions are complex. Growing up in poverty, he had to deal with an aggressive stepfather who threatened his life. He faced racial profiling and discrimination. Trevor committed to crime to survive, but he amazingly turned his life around and ascended to become a global fame.

The Daily Show is a satirical news show that airs on Comedy Central in the US. Time Magazine named him one of the World’s Hundred Most Influential People for the depth of his talent and brand building. His wit has garnered him millions of fans worldwide, and he is now largely regarded as one of today’s funniest comedians. People are so captivated by his charm, attitude, and unique sense of humour that they have no idea or care about the struggles he has through to become the guy he is today. Examine Trevor Noah as if you’ve never heard of him.

Trevor Noah was born and raised in unusual circumstances.

Noah’s birth and family were not planned during apartheid and the Immorality Act of 1927, which virtually banned any European male from having sexual contact with any local female in South Africa, a crime punishable by a 5-year prison sentence.

A local girl letting or authorizing a European male to have carnal intercourse with her was punishable by up to four years in prison. So, how did Trevor’s father, a white European man, meet his black mother against the law?

Patricia Noah became a secretary after disliking the two main jobs available to indigenous ladies under Apartheid: maid service for Europeans and industrial work. She then moved from Soweto, where she lived with her mother in a black-only zone, to downtown Johannesburg, where she now lives.

She quickly made friends with Xhosa prostitutes in Johannesburg, who taught her how to avoid prosecution by posing as a maid for wealthy white clients. They also helped her get lodging from a European willing to flout the law to accommodate her requirements.

The two shared unit 203 with a tall Swiss-German expatriate called Robert who resided three flats away in flat 206. These two people were never meant to be together, but they did, and they gave birth to Trevor Noah, who is now famous.

His family was and still is intriguing, and his upbringing was full with memories — some good, some painful — that he has been able to share with the world. His youth was going to be anything but typical because the law prevents the conception of colored children, but he managed to make it interesting.

Trevor Noah’s Swiss-German Father Is White

Trevor Noah’s Family

Trevor Noah’s father is a Swiss-German guy known only by his first name, Robert. He was one of several European businessmen who visited South Africa during apartheid. Prior to moving to South Africa in the late 1970s, he worked as a top chef in Montreal, Canada, and New York City, New York.

“Robert is exceedingly clean, exact, and fussy,” says Trevor about Robert. He enjoys partying and vacationing with his friends. If Europeans (or anybody else) despised Africans so much, why did they come to Africa to force their will on the local population?

He is recognized with opening South Africa’s first integrated restaurant, which served people of all races and tribes without discrimination, as the country’s first European. He went to great lengths to obtain a permission that permitted individuals of all races and ethnicities to freely meet and socialize. People who dislike him have frequently reported his eatery to the authorities. When he rejected, he was offered the chance to work exclusively for white people while being subjected to unreasonable time demands. Rather than risk prejudice, the ethical Robert closed his business.

Absent Father Early Years

Robert’s absence during Trevor’s adolescence caused a lot of grief in Trevor’s family. He lost out on doing things with his father in public since they couldn’t be seen together. For being fathered by both a white man and a black female, seeing Trevor’s father (a white male) in public with his son (a colored child) might result in a five-year prison sentence and Trevor being placed in an orphanage or boys home. This constraint affects their romantic relationship in multiple ways.

The exciting and memorable childhood episode of Trevor’s father sending him to jail for calling him “daddy” in the street. A prominent Hillbrow park was taken by Trevor’s mother and father on this terrible day. Trevor was intrigued by something and walked up to Robert’s father to tell him. Robert rushed from the scene, his son after him, calling him “daddy” as he ran. Robert was arrested by the cops. Trevor was too young to realize their public relationship was illegal.

His Father-son bond is still evolving.

Trevor Noah’s relationship with his father (and mother) was doomed from the start due to Apartheid in South Africa outlawing interracial sexual interaction between whites and blacks. Wouldn’t it have been better for Trevor Noah’s family if the law had allowed Robert to be fully involved from the start? One can only guess.

To avoid legal repercussions, Trevor’s mother simply wrapped him up and transported him to see his father whenever they wanted. Sadly, as he grew larger and heavier, carrying him like a baby to visit his father became more difficult, as both his parents faced being captured and sentenced to years in prison.

His mother, on the other hand, was a clever woman who discovered creative solutions to problems. Trevor recalls seeing his father perhaps once or twice a week. He spent most Sundays with him growing up, watching TV, especially Formula 1 races, and eating Rosti, a German-style pancake loaded with potatoes, meat, and gravy. On rare occasions, like his birthday and Christmas, his mother would join him to his father’s residence.

Trevor and his mother continued to smuggle themselves to his father’s house undetected until Trevor reached 13 and Robert was forced to relocate from Hillbrow to Cape Town, where they lost contact. In order to make up for his lack of quality time with his father, he spent the next 11 years doing things that teens valued at the time, such as playing video games, watching movies and sports.

When he was 24, his mother urged him to find and reconcile with his father. After failing to locate him through known contacts and friends, he was about to quit up until his mother urged him to call the Swiss consulate in South Africa.

After initially unable to locate him, he decided to send him a letter reintroducing himself to Robert, which the embassy would then deliver to him. After a few weeks, his father replied, giving him his address for a visit. Robert’s million and one inquiries irritated him during his visit, so he calmly advised him to slow down his racing horses and spend quality time with him to better know him.

They have been reunited for several years despite their hectic schedules and geographical apart. They are still getting to know each other and enjoying each other’s company.

A Mother Who Dared To Be Different

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Patricia Nombuyislo Noah, Trevor Noah’s mother, is difficult to define. She was described as a kind, bold, determined, and self-motivated woman who served as the glue that held Trevor Noah’s family together even while the walls were breaking around them.

Born into the Xhosa tribe of South Africa, she grew up in the Soweto district of Johannesburg, forced to cohabit with other black families during apartheid. The only jobs accessible to black South Africans at the time were factory menial tasks or housemaid jobs for white families — vocations that many would gladly accept, but not Nombuyiselo. She enrolled in a typing course to become a corporate secretary, a job she was certain she would never find. Luckily, the apartheid government relaxed its attitude on liberalizing jobs previously restricted for whites exclusively, and she was able to obtain work as a company secretary.

Her first employment at Braamfontein was with ICI, a major pharmaceutical business based in Johannesburg. As a result, she could care for both her children and her elderly parents.

Patricia braved racial discrimination, physical abuse, and other challenges to see her children succeed. She almost died to secure their success. She was a devout Christian who tried to instill in her kids the same values she had. Every black cloud had a silver lining for her.

Seeing how accomplished Trevor and his siblings have grown, you can be sure that her efforts have paid off.

His Mother’s Upbringing Was Interesting

Being a colorful child is isolating. Trevor Noah could not openly socialize with either of his parents when they were children due to their respective five-year prison sentences. Even though he was raised by his mother, he felt alone and lonely for a long time.

In order to allow her son to join her out in public, his mother created a creative strategy. Grace, a brown lady who accompanied Trevor in public as his true mother walked behind them pretending to be his nanny, encouraged her. Trevor said in his autobiography that he has images of Grace disguised as his mother in public as Patricia walked behind him.

In his autobiography “Born a Crime,” he describes his mother being thrown out of a moving vehicle, compelled to attend to church, and then bailing him out of police detention.

Noah’s Parents Never Married

Robert and Patricia Noah chose to go against the grain of society and law in order to make Trevor Noah’s birth possible. Two buddies who shared an apartment complex and frequented illegal and underground parties and nightclubs met for the first time. The Immorality Act of 1927 and segregation in the country at the time may have meant they were in a romantic relationship they couldn’t express openly.

Patricia asked Robert about raising a kid together. Robert, a devout Catholic, originally refused the offer, but Mary persevered, explaining why she needed his sperm. She went on to say that he would be free of any obligations to the child, and that he would not even be required to be there at his birth.

9 months later, Robert caved in to Patricia’s requests and agreed to the pregnancy. Trevor’s parents never married, although his mother desperately wanted a child with the man she was seeing at the time. Trevor feels he was born a criminal because it was illegal for Europeans and locals to procreate and give birth to a colored child (mixed race offspring) in the country.

Trevor Noah’s Stepfather Abused Him

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Patricia married his alcoholic stepfather Abel, destroying the family’s finances. As a result, the family had to leave their rented apartment and sleep in a corner of his workshop. Patricia, Abel, and Andrew shared a tiny room, while Trevor was forced to sleep in any car he could find. Having spent most of his childhood sleeping in cars, he discovered that German cars were the most comfortable to sleep in. Being a mechanic’s son forced him to learn the trade early, and he began adult responsibilities before he was a teenager.

Trevor Noah’s stepfather beat him repeatedly when he crossed the line, and he also beat Trevor Noah’s mother.

Trevor Noah’s Siblings

Andrew Shingange & Trevor – source

One benefit of divorced parents is that you acquire extra siblings from both parents, allowing you to enjoy a large and happy extended family. Trevor Noah’s family circumstances gave him the chance to headline The Daily Show.

His mother’s side has two siblings.

At some point in the early 2000s, Abel Ngisaveni Shingange, an affable mechanic who not only repaired Patricia Noah’s jalopy Bettle car but also filled a big vacuum in her heart, fell in love (or so she thought). It wasn’t long before Patricia and Abel’s relationship progressed from a simple customer-client relationship to a full-fledged romantic relationship, and they were standing in front of a judge, declaring themselves husband and wife, and signing the dotted lines in a marriage contract.

Trevor Noah’s family grew by one when his mother married Andrew Shingange, his first half-brother. Trevoh was nine years old when he was first born. During the next few years, his mother’s marriage and relationship with Abel deteriorated, and she gave birth to another son, Isaac, who lived to adulthood. Trevor Noah’s family has enlarged with the birth of Isaac, the product of Patricia and Trevor Noah’s marriage.

The sources claim Andrew is still residing in South Africa, possibly married with children of his own; his career background and other personal data are unknown at this time. Alternatively, Isaac is still teenage and may be enrolled in school. The actor is notorious for keeping a low public presence, either by avoiding social media or by keeping his personal data private.

Trevor may have siblings from his father’s side.

Trevor Noah’s father, Robert, is a well-known comedian who is known for being a reserved man. Robert is so reticent that he would rather spend time with his child than be questioned or harassed into disclosing more about his life and personality.

Trevor’s father, Robert, had no more children save Trevor with Patricia, therefore he may or may not have siblings on his father’s side of the family. According to Trevor’s memoirs, Robert did not marry after his relationship with Patricia ended, making it unlikely he had any additional children.

 

 

 

Fans are often curious in their favorite celebrities’ childhoods, and Trevor Noah is no different as a well-known comedian. Trevor Noah’s strength is evident in his ability to tell stories and make jokes about his life. Trevor Noah’s early life was anything but typical, and only a strong guy could endure it and keep his wit.

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