Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on Trevor Noah:
December 8 is Trevor Noah’s last episode of “The Daily Show.” The general consensus seems to be that he did a pretty good job during his years on the Comedy Central show. That is of little interest to the Catholic League. What matters to us is the way entertainers treat Catholicism, and on this count, Noah will go down as one of the most vulgar and bigoted comedians in television history.
The following are quotes from the “Daily Show with Trevor Noah” that provide evidence of my assessment of him.
September 28, 2015—While commenting on the pope’s visit to America, Noah stated that the pope’s car was small and that “somebody’s compensating. I’m saying the pope has a huge c**k.”
June 27, 2016—After Noah made some humorous and inoffensive jokes about the pope’s quips aboard the papal plane, he referred to the pontiff as that “mother******.”
January 5, 2017—While commenting on a McDonald’s opening near the Vatican, Noah stated that “it makes a lot of sense when you think about it—both the Catholic Church and McDonald’s have served billions, they both make people feel guilty about themselves, and both are historically bad for children, so it makes sense (emphasis added).”
March 23, 2017—While commenting on a three-year-old removing the pope’s hat, Noah stated that “I can see why this made the news—a child undressing a priest for a change.”
September 5, 2018—While commenting on two Catholic priests performing lewd acts on each other, Noah stated, “that sounds like a good news story to me. Two adults having consensual sex, hallelujah! That’s pretty dope.” The comic went on to suggest that the pope was “pretty stoked” about the story and introduced a dubbed-over clip of the Holy Father saying, “You want to talk about a miracle? They are both over 18. Two adults, just a midday quickie in a PT cruiser. Thank you, Lord Jesus!”
March 26, 2019—While commenting on the pope not wanting people to kiss his ring, Noah stated that “it’s a nice change of pace to see a priest not want to touch people.”
April 22, 2019—While discussing the fire that seriously damaged Notre-Dame, Noah asked, “Why doesn’t France ask for the Catholic Church to pay for the repairs? A billion dollars is nothing to them. It’s like three child abuse settlements.”
May 29, 2019—While discussing an alleged Catholic group selling video games, Noah provided a platform to “Daily Show” correspondent Ronny Chieng to say that “I don’t think an institution known for luring children should put out a game to lure more children. Where do you catch the final Pokémon Jesus—Father Garrity’s tickle room?”
June 11, 2019—While commenting on the Vatican’s teachings on gender ideology, Noah stated that “the Catholic Church thinks that if you’re a girl, you’re a girl forever, and if you’re a boy, they are going to f*** you.” He then made several jokes about “pedophile priests.”
October 9, 2019—Noah questioned “why is the communion wafer so bland? Jesus was from the Middle East. How about a bowl of hummus to go with it? Body of Christ, tasty.”
January 16, 2020—While commenting on the pope’s remarks on the issue of celibacy for priests, Noah mocked Pope Emeritus Benedict for publishing a book on celibacy stating that “the old pope wants the rules to stay the same. And I get that. I mean if I had been forced to be a virgin for 92 years, I would also be out there like, ‘guys come on! Those are the rules! We agreed!'”
March 9, 2020—While commenting on Covid-19 restrictions, Noah stated that “it’s going to be hard to take Communion seriously when the priest has to throw wafers into people’s open mouths from across the room, the Body of Christ—from downtown!”
April 13, 2020—While commenting on Covid-19 restrictions, Noah stated that Easter Sunday would be hard for many church-goers, “but for the Catholic Church, this is a good thing—keeping priests separate from the congregation might not be the worst idea.”
May 18, 2020—While commenting on Covid-19 restrictions, Noah stated that a Detroit priest using a water gun to bless parishioners with holy water from a distance was “a great way for other Catholic priests to explain why they have a bunch of kid’s toys in their basements.”
March 16, 2021—While commenting on the Jesuits providing reparations to African-Americans, Noah mocked the Sacrament of Baptism by calling it “waterboarding babies.” The comic went on to do a skit where he impersonates a priest offering money to a black man “for owning [his] great-grandfather.” Noah then takes on the role of the black man and replies that “I thought this was for you guys touching us when we were kids.”
Some say Noah is a nice person. The same was said about his predecessor, Jon Stewart. But like Stewart, who was another anti-Catholic bigot, his unrelenting assaults on Catholics and the Catholic Church sufficiently detract from whatever good qualities he may possess. Noah’s bigoted legacy is secure.
Contact Noah’s agent, Rachel Rusch: rrusch@caa.com
