Madinga roped in to ‘The Daily Show’
Comedian is Africa correspondent for the hit programme
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah’s newest addition Loyiso Madinga had to switch off his phone to deal with the biggest news of his career.
Madinga, 31, tells Time Out that he was overwhelmed by the number of calls that came in shortly after he was unveiled as the Africa correspondent for the show.
“I don’t know how I feel,” says Madinga. “It’s all a bit crazy and new, so I have no reference for this.
“I’ve actually left my phone in another room because I can’t deal with all the calls right now and I am addicted to my social media, but right now it’s actually too much.”
News of Madinga’s international breakthrough came yesterday morning and quickly sent the social media into a frenzy with local stars and fans praising the Eastern Cape-born funnyman for landing the lucrative deal, handpicked by Trevor Noah.
“I knew about this mid last year. It is so big, you don’t believe it until moments like today. So I was keeping it on a hush, waiting for the team overseas and the team here at home to confirm,” he adds.
Madinga says every moment leading up to his appointment played out through WhatsApp with the help of comedian Riaad Moosa and television personality Sizwe Dhlomo.
“It was a WhatsApp [text] to come audition,” says Madinga. “It was a WhatsApp [text] to say ‘hey, you got the job’…
“The person who was dealing with the whole thing was Riaad Moosa. I was dealing with Riaad and Sizwe who were handling the whole auditions and stuff like that.”
Madinga has created a colourful resume for himself since breaking into the comedy space in 2012. He is an Emmy finalist as a writer and performer on the two-time Emmy Award-nominated e.tv satire show, Late Nite News with Loyiso Gola and the Saftanominated Bantu Hour.
He is no stranger to the international space as he has been part of Montreux Comedy Festival in Switzerland, Busan Comedy Festival in South Korea and the Johannesburg International Comedy Festival.
“It’s bee n a long process of trying to figure out how we are going to do things this side. It’s a well-oiled machine and what they are doing here is a pilot, hopefully for the rest of the world and these other correspondents from other countries in the future.”
Madinga is the second biggest import on the show from South Africa after Noah, who has been shattering ratings records and winning international awards since taking over from John Stewart in 2016.
“I have worked with Trevor a few times, I have toured with him on Nationwild and that was the first time I met him.
“I’ve watched a few shows he has performed on and sometimes when I go to New York, he comes down [and] we chill and chat.
“He is a really great guy,” Madinga says.
Madinga premiered on the show with his segment at the ANC elective congress late last year.
Alex Okosi, executive vicepresident and managing director for VIMN Africa, said: “One of our key objectives as Viacom International Media Networks Africa is to provide a platform via our brands for great African talent and content.
“We are excited that through this localised segment on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, Loyiso, has an opportunity to continue showcasing his great comedic talent to audiences across Africa and around the world.”
‘ ‘ I was keeping it on a hush, waiting for confirmation