US TV host Trevor Noah targets Pakistan Army in comedy skit

Rating Justification

The iVerify Pakistan team has reviewed this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, the iVerify Pakistan team conducted a reverse image search to trace and investigate the original episode of US TV host Trevor Noah’s talk show.

Multiple users posted a clip on social media platform X on September 11, 2024, from a comedy skit of US TV host Trevor Noah, hinting that it depicted how the military influences Pakistan’s politics. However, the clip is from a November 2015 comedy skit targeting Myanmar’s military junta.

Over the past few years, the army has encountered escalating criticism, especially on social media platforms, with such discussions intensifying amid recent political turmoil. Many of these conversations have focused on the military’s involvement in civilian governance and its impact on democracy in the country.

HOW IT STARTED

Former National Assembly deputy speaker and PTI leader Qasim Khan Suri posted a clip on September 12 on social media platform X showing The Daily Show host Trevor Noah reading out from a piece of paper, handed over to him by a soldier, at gunpoint.

The caption of the post said: “These days, your name is on everyone’s lips. Everyone knows and everyone is aware now.”

The post was implicitly aimed at the military and gained over 249,000 views while being reshared 8,200 times.

The clip was originally shared by a PTI supporter as can be seen here with the caption: “Trevor Noah also knows how much the military is involved in politics in Pakistan,” and gained 37,500 views.

METHODOLOGY

A fact check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and the serious nature of the allegation from a former National Assembly deputy speaker.

The reverse image search conducted through screenshots from the clip yielded the video from Trevor Noah’s late-night talk show The Daily Show uploaded to YouTube on November 13, 2015.

In the 5:26-minute long clip, the host discussed Myanmar’s 2015 election and the win of pro-democracy Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi to parliament.

In the comedy skit that tackled the Myanmar military’s involvement in the country’s politics, the host was interrupted by a man dressed as a military personnel at the 4:47-minute mark who gives him a paper and orders him to read from the statement at gunpoint.

It is worth noting that Noah neither took the name of the Pakistani military nor even hinted about it in the viral clip.

FACT CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim regarding a viral clip of US TV host Trevor Noah’s comedy skit targeting the Pakistan Army for political involvement is false.

In the comedy skit, Noah can be seen targeting the Myanmar military during the country’s 2015 elections. His skit has no connection with the Pakistan Army or Pakistan’s politics.

Evidence and References

November 13, 2015, The Daily Show YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX-KwOVL-Y8