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What Now? with Trevor Noah

Meet Joe Opio - My Favorite People

18 Dec 2025

2h 15m duration
27209 words
5 speakers
18 Dec 2025
Description

In this episode of My Favorite People, Trevor, Eugene, and Dave chat with Daily Show writer Joe Opio, a man so relentlessly happy they are convinced he was sent from another planet to mock their collective anxiety. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Audio
Transcription

Chapter 1: What is discussed at the start of this section?

0.031 - 26.207 Joe Opio

i will apologize on behalf of south africans then to you as a fellow african yeah as a fellow african we didn't mean to leave you in the dust we're not trying to do this intentionally however your beef is misplaced because when we listened to sean paul okay and other like reggae raga artists and all of that dance hall and all of those vibes those guys would switch things up in the

0

26.947 - 27.568 Unknown

I'll say this.

0

27.729 - 33.241 Joe Opio

No, no, no, no. I'll say this to counter. Just give me the light.

0

33.301 - 33.762 Unknown

I'll say this.

0

33.782 - 49.133 Joe Opio

If you listen, if you listen to reggae, let me tell you something now. You're listening to it wrong. That's what I'm saying. Eugene, that's what I'm saying. Like, where did the sentence start? But you brought me in with one thing.

49.333 - 50.895 Unknown

Just give me the light.

51.355 - 69.475 Joe Opio

No, but no one listens to reggae for the real estate. Okay, give me the light. You listen for the beats. This is What Now? with Trevor Noah.

70.771 - 91.382 Trevor Noah

Apple Card doesn't have any. So if your credit card isn't Apple Card, maybe it should be.

91.862 - 116.033 Joe Opio

Subject to credit approval, Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City branch. Variable APRs for Apple Card range from 17.74% to 27.99% based on credit worthiness. Rates as of November 1, 2025. Existing customers can view their variable APR in the Wallet app or at card.apple.com. Terms and more at applecard.com.

Chapter 2: How does Joe Opio describe his experience with reggae music?

143.308 - 144.67 Juhlamokka

Joulun tekijöiden kahvi.

0

149.965 - 155.172 Joe Opio

Today, the goal was to hang out with Joseph Opio, one of my favorite people.

0

155.192 - 169.352 Trevor Noah

This guy right here, Ugandan, honorary South African, fellow daily show writer, co-conspirator, stand-up comedian, sports enthusiast, football buff.

0

169.452 - 176.101 Joe Opio

That was my goal today, was to hang out with him. Okay. Then what happened was, then what happened was, you came out of nowhere.

0

176.582 - 176.682

Okay.

176.662 - 201.264 Joe Opio

Okay? Which is a wonderful blessing, but you came out of nowhere because it was another friend's birthday. With a plastic bag. You came with a plastic bag full of 0% alcohol. It's hard to get 0% Guinness. Yes. So you came with 0% alcohol. It was hard to carry it. It's the ultimate paradox. Yes. It's like someone who's like, I came for the party, but I don't like parties.

203.346 - 212.117 Trevor Noah

Yes, yes, yes. Okay. So that's when you came. Now, because we all roll together, we are in this thing. So now, I'll answer your question. So it's not an interview. I just wanted to hang out with Joe. Right?

212.798 - 215.901 Joe Opio

Why are there cameras and... Oh, why?

216.082 - 222.91 Trevor Noah

Because you could have just... You assume he's one of your favorite people. Yes. So I assume that up until this point, you've hung out.

Chapter 3: What led to the first meeting between Joe and Trevor?

397.914 - 402.12 Joe Opio

I've heard people go Titanic. I've heard people go- Who in Titanic was under the most pressure?

0

402.14 - 402.501 Trevor Noah

No, no, no.

0

402.521 - 410.052 Joe Opio

What I'm saying is there are movies that are generally thought of as the go-to for an example or for an idea. Oh, you've been red-pilled.

0

410.333 - 412.336 Unknown

It's from The Matrix. You get what I'm saying?

0

412.356 - 428.687 Joe Opio

Oh, I thought it was from Vaccines. No, bro. She came from the matrix. Came from the matrix. Yeah, it got co-opted by the vaccines. But that's what I mean. But the thing is, now I'm thinking you should change the people you hang out with. These people are not cultured. You should change your favorite people if they can't make.

429.147 - 435.716 Trevor Noah

No, but you're my favorite people and here you are. Here you are sword fishing me. In fact, that's what I'm going to use it as now, from now on.

435.756 - 446.95 Joe Opio

I'm going to say someone sword fished me. And then they're going to go, what does that mean? And I'm going to say, to sword fish somebody is to just bring up the most random instance. Yo, nobody knows sword fish.

446.97 - 447.59 Unknown

Do you know sword fish?

447.61 - 451.255 Joe Opio

Do you remember sword fish? Wait, wait, wait. Okay, let's ask the man off camera.

Chapter 4: How does Joe's unique perspective influence his comedy?

743.176 - 763.298 Joe Opio

Okay. So I didn't know I had an accent till I left Uganda. Because everyone in Uganda sounded like this. Yeah, no, no, that's true. So then I come to America, go to South Africa, and people go like, oh, you have an accent. And I'm like, no, you have an accent. You're not wrong. Yes, because in my mind, when I speak, I sound like Hugh Grant right now. When I'm talking right now.

0

763.358 - 783.878 Joe Opio

In fact, you should go to Uganda and hear those. When I'm talking right now, I sound like Hugh Grant. I sound like an English aristocrat. No, and can I tell you something? I've seen your writing, and we'll go through this in stages. We'll get back to the story. But in writing, because this man sitting here,

0

784.027 - 800.702 Joe Opio

has a vocabulary that surpasses any human being I've met in my life, like personally, that I know. I don't know everyone in the world. This guy here, if I'm looking for a word, searching for a sentence, trying to fix grammar or structure, this person here knows more about the English language than anyone I've ever met.

0

801.172 - 803.096 Trevor Noah

Right? So I get what you're saying.

0

804.078 - 822.015 Joe Opio

You right now, what we heard was you, and then what you heard on the mic was you going, I don't understand why anybody thinks I have an accent. In fact, when you think about swordfish, when you think about swordfish, In my mind. In my mind. Let me tell you. Let me tell you.

822.055 - 823.316 Unknown

The first thing is, when I had Trevor.

823.336 - 825.518 Joe Opio

The funny thing is. Because Trevor does impressions.

825.538 - 828.201 Unknown

Because Trevor does impressions. And when Trevor does impressions.

828.241 - 842.176 Joe Opio

He does impressions of people. So Trevor used to go like, I'm going to do this. Then Joe said this. Then Trevor would do an impression of me. And then I would go like, who is that guy? Because I would go like, oh, that guy sounds weird.

Chapter 5: Why do some people think Joe Opio is always happy?

3793.694 - 3794.716 Trevor Noah

No, I get the context.

0

3794.736 - 3806.376 Joe Opio

What I'm saying is that... If they edit out this part, they're like, John kisses strangers' babies. What I'm saying is that the part that I find the most interesting out of you

0

3807.655 - 3817.388 Trevor Noah

The most, most interesting is that I've known you for whatever it is, 12, 13, 14 years, whatever it may be. And I've spent a lot of time with you.

0

3817.408 - 3847.709 Joe Opio

And in all that time that I have spent with you, I have never for five minutes seen you upset or in a bad mood. That's why I'm saying he's an alien. No, I'm saying, so could you explain that? That's sort of, it goes to the alien thing. Right. Actions that people might find themselves doing in a certain setting, that can be cultural. So in one culture, people hold pinky fingers.

0

3847.829 - 3856.143 Joe Opio

Men, when they walk in the streets, they hold pinky fingers. In another place, that happens all over the world. So that happens in India, in the Middle East, even in parts of South Africa, guys would do it.

Chapter 6: What cultural differences affect how people express emotions?

3856.284 - 3857.085 Trevor Noah

Yeah, yeah.

0

3857.369 - 3858.671 Joe Opio

You've never seen cousins?

0

3858.731 - 3861.975 Trevor Noah

No, no, no. Never seen cousins doing that? Yeah, yeah.

0

3862.055 - 3869.505 Joe Opio

Come on, dude. No, come on. In Hamanskal, guys would do that? No, they would. You've never seen that? You've never seen that? They would do that.

0

3869.726 - 3871.688 Unknown

But that's normal in a lot of places.

3871.708 - 3875.393 Joe Opio

Yeah, I'm saying that's normal in a lot of places, right? But in other places, they'll go like, that's crazy.

Chapter 7: How does Joe Opio view his upbringing and privilege?

3875.674 - 3884.405 Joe Opio

Okay? So these are cultural things. What Dave's hitting on here is like the evidence that makes it more likely that you're an alien.

0
0

3885.179 - 3890.927 Joe Opio

Okay. And that evidence is what... You mean alien from up there, not alien like Trump.

0

3890.947 - 3905.128 Trevor Noah

No, no, not Trump alien. Relax. No, no, no. Don't worry about that. No, no, no. What I'm saying is you... Dave's right. I also have never seen you depressed, sad...

0

3905.598 - 3929.935 Joe Opio

angry all the like whatever we call them like negative and not in like a fake way by the way i'm not talking like oh that person's always in a good mood not like that not like that because i've seen you pensive i've seen you mourning somebody or something bad that's happened when my grandmother passed away you came over it's not like you were like ah grandmothers who cares you were like you know what i mean you you cried like you were like with me in the moment is what i mean but i'm saying it's like a state of being

3931.012 - 3947.418 Joe Opio

I've never seen you like we've never seen you. Not positive. But you know why? Yeah, why? Because I'm hashtag winning. You know this? And I've told you this. You know the Trump speech where he goes like, you're going to win so much.

3947.458 - 3949.7 Unknown

You're going to start telling me. We're going to be winning so much.

3949.72 - 3955.345 Joe Opio

You're going to be tired of winning. Tired of winning. So much winning. You're going to say, Mr. President. Mr. President, we're tired.

3955.365 - 3955.985 Trevor Noah

We can't take it anymore.

Chapter 8: What insights does Joe share about happiness and success?

3967.355 - 3970.738 Joe Opio

But not just working legally. Working at the Daily Show.

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3970.718 - 4000.523 Joe Opio

right how many Ugandans get to do that so me I've always been very Kimuka doesn't count Kimuka is Ugandan light so no I'm Ugandan so anyway the thing is I've always been hyper aware of how like I am like from and this is way before the daily show I've always been being born in Africa being born as a guy in Africa as opposed to being born a woman in Africa already you're winning

0

4000.672 - 4023.12 Joe Opio

Because a guy in Africa has certain privileges and he's given more away than a girl. So I've always been hyper aware about like I am. I've always been hyper aware of my privilege, so to speak. So when people complain about things, people get, you know, when people complain about things, oh, this is not working out. I go like my life, everything is working out.

0

4023.14 - 4043.132 Joe Opio

Literally, I walked into the comedy cellar. Got a chance to perform. I walked into their show. Got a chance to meet them out of the blue. We became friends. Everything I feel like I've... I'll put it like this. I don't like sweat the little stuff, if that makes sense. So for example, today, you guys came late.

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4043.753 - 4065.728 Joe Opio

for the podcast what did you say first Joe we are sorry we kept you and in a moment I'm like why are you apologizing remember when we when we planned when we made a plan yeah to watch El Clasico Dave you were there we planned to watch El Clasico it was going to be at two Barcelona Real Madrid biggest game in the world I turn up to your apartment 145 you guys come in at four

4066.805 - 4068.668 Unknown

Right?

4068.688 - 4086.073 Joe Opio

Right? You and Dave walk in at four. This game was supposed to start at two. And Trevor and Dave walk in full of apologies. And then I go like, why are you guys apologizing? Like, because other people would be upset. And Trevor tells me other people would be upset because we made a plan you're supposed to watch. Then I went like, why though? Like, why would I be upset?

4086.093 - 4107.459 Joe Opio

Like, you and Dave wanted to watch the game. We plan to watch the game, but you didn't show up on time. That means something more urgent came up or you were held up. You are not hiding somewhere around the corner going like, ooh, let's make Joe wait. Something else came up. And then Trevor goes like, ah, but I don't, but you know, other people would be upset, you know, maybe disrespected.

4107.76 - 4133.554 Joe Opio

Yes, yes, maybe, maybe disrespected. Then I told him, no, why would I be? So Trevor's going like, oh, other people feel disrespected, their time. Then I go like, no, but it wasn't my time. It was your time. You basically. You're the one who's not here. No, no, you. you lent me your time. It wasn't, I'm not entitled to your time. You told me let's meet at two, but it wasn't my time.

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