Trevor Noah and the Great White Genocide That Wasn’t (But Somehow Still Made Headlines)
Jul 02, 2025Oh my god. Trevor Noah has done it again.
I just listened to his new podcast episode—you know, the one where he unpacks the completely imaginary “white genocide” that just ain't happening—and I laughed so hard I had to pull over.
If you haven’t heard the episode yet, pause here and go listen to "The Totally Very Real White Genocide in South Africa". Trevor Noah teams up with comedian Eugene Khoza and radio host Dan Corder - a biracial, Black and white South African trio - and together they roast nonsense with love, sharp insight and just the right amount of mischief. It's like your favorite aunt spilling tea: honest, precise, and with a wink that says, you know this is ridiculous, right?
Apparently, the non-event of “white genocide” has somehow managed to trend in the news cycle, because… reasons?
Trevor points out that he’s never met a single person who was pro-apartheid—even though he grew up in the country that literally invented the system. Funny how that works, right? Apartheid was state policy for decades, yet somehow no one claims to have supported it. Meanwhile, when apartheid ended, President Bill Clinton quietly issued 2,000 special visas for white South Africans, just in case they needed a “safe haven” from… democracy? And still—white South Africans are thriving. They go to yoga. They drink oat milk. The genocide? It’s just not happening.
Meanwhile, somewhere in suburban America, someone is clutching their pearls because a grocery store added a Juneteenth cupcake display. The horror.
What I love about Trevor—is that he skewers everyone with equal parts humor and humanity. He makes fun of Trump like a professional juggler tossing flaming swords: dazzling, dangerous, and oddly graceful. But he doesn’t dehumanize him or reduce him to a pile of rotting orange fruit. He just lifts the curtain, lets us peek behind the bombast, and then throws in a punchline so good it makes you rethink everything while you’re still wiping your eyes.
That takes skill.
He gets that comedy can be a scalpel, not a sledgehammer. He doesn’t throw babies out with the bathwater (even when those babies are wearing red hats). Instead, he uses satire to shine light, not set fires. He’s the guy at the dinner table who makes you laugh at your own blind spots before you even realize he’s talking about you.
As a white woman raising Black kids in America, I’ve had a front-row seat to the deep absurdity of racial myths—especially the ones white people tell ourselves. Like the myth that racism ended with the Civil Rights Act. Or that America was “founded on freedom” without mentioning who built it, unpaid, under whips. Or the tidy textbook version of history that erases the terror of slavery, the legacy of redlining, or the fact that our kids still walk through the wreckage of all that. These myths aren’t just misguided—they’re dangerous. And they live on not because they’re true, but because they’re comfortable. Trevor helps blow them up—with humor sharp enough to cut through denial, and kind enough to make you stay for the lesson.
So yes, Trevor, Eugene and Dan, thank you. For reminding us that genocide is a real thing—just not the imaginary kind white supremacists keep tweeting about from their perfectly safe neighborhoods. Thank you for helping us laugh while we peel back the layers of fear, ignorance, and ego. And thank you for never taking your brilliance too seriously.
Because when you laugh at lies, they lose their power.
And that is no joke.
So yes—if you ever need help discerning whether someone is a refugee, a threat, or just a guy with high cholesterol and a Samsonite suitcase, I’m here for you. I come with snacks and a sense of humor.
Click here for a free 30 minute conversation.
Marion Van Namen
Founder, White Awake Parenting
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