Trevor Noah Recalls Funny, Teachable Moment With Obama About HIV

Trevor Noah in his new Netflix comedy special, Son of Patricia, recalls a funny and embarassing encounter with then-President Barack Obama in which he misheard Obama thinking he said that he had AIDS.

Noah visited the White House to interview Obama for an episode of The Daily Show that aired December 12, 2016. But as Noah revealed in the comedy special the most embarrassing moment of the interview was off camera.

Noah says Obama invited him to perform at an event he was holding for his aides. But a misunderstanding led Noah to think the president had instead said he had AIDS.

"He explained what he meant and I wanted the earth to swallow me whole," Noah says in the special. "Because I had just looked at the president of the United States and asked him if he had AIDS." 

Noah goes on to talk about a handful of English words and their different meanings in the US and South Africa.

Noah's home country of South Africa has among the highest HIV rates in the world.

Trevor Noah: Son Of Patricia is streaming on Netflix now.