Episode Details
EPISODE INFO
- Released
- February 5, 2026
- Duration
- 2h 10m
- Channel
- What Now? With Trevor Noah
- Watch on YouTube
- ▶ Open ↗
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
Emmy-nominated video journalist Cleo Abram joins Trevor and Eugene to talk about Huge If True, her hit YouTube series that takes an optimistic approach to science and emerging technology. The three explore how asking “what could go right?” might be the most powerful tool we have for moving humanity forward, why optimism isn’t naïve but necessary, and how the physics of curling (the most divisive Olympic sport) can be used as an example of pessimism keeping us from imagining a better world. SurveyMonkey takes the fear out of asking—and the doubt out of deciding. If you haven't already.... Subscribe to the channel here: http://bit.ly/SubscribeTrevorNoah Or follow the podcast on your other favorite platforms... SiriusXM - Apple Podcasts - https://bit.ly/WhatNowOnApplePodcasts Spotify - https://bit.ly/WhatNowOnSpotify 0:00:00 - That Time We Almost Started with Aliens 0:01:00 - ADR, Accents, and the Universal African Accent Problem 0:03:00 - When Views Have Consequences (And You Have to Actually Think About It) 0:06:00 - Cleo's Three Rules for Making Content That Doesn't Suck 0:08:00 - The Jake Paul Click Cycle and How It Ruins Everything 0:10:00 - Wait, Why DO You Care? (Getting Into Cleo's Origin Story) 0:14:00 - How Death Penalty Cases Taught Someone to Explain Things Simply 0:17:00 - That 1903 Article That Said Planes Would Never Work 0:21:00 - Pessimism Plus Helplessness: A Terrible Recipe 0:24:00 - How AI Became Less Scary in Africa (Eugene's Theory) 0:28:00 - Being the Proxy for the Audience (And Not Pretending You're an Expert) 0:34:00 - Why You Can't Just Vote on Your Phone (It's Worse Than You Think) 0:40:00 - Digital Rain and Other Ways Foreign Powers Could Hack Elections 0:44:00 - When Your Knowledge Makes You Both Fun AND Annoying at Parties 0:47:00 - Eugene Explains Bashar and Why We're Making First Contact in Two Years 0:53:00 - The CIA Agent Who Said Conspiracy Theorists Are Sometimes Right 0:56:00 - What Would Actually Happen If We Found Aliens? 1:00:00 - The Curling Stone Mystery That's Baffled Physicists for 100 Years 1:08:00 - Trevor's KFC/KKK Joke That Almost Got Us Fired 1:14:00 - How Helicopters Shouldn't Exist (But Do Anyway) 1:21:00 - The Feeling of Awe (And Why Your Phone Sees the Northern Lights Better) 1:24:00 - Eugene's Grand Theft Auto Theory About the Next 100 Years 1:30:00 - Why Leaving Vox Was "So Brave" (And What That Really Means) 1:36:00 - The Three Pillars and How to Not Let Success Ruin You 1:44:00 - YouTube Is Eating Television and Nobody Can Stop It 1:50:00 - The Island Theory: Why People Get Uncomfortable When You Leave 1:57:00 - Ancient Philosophers Were Just Early YouTubers 2:00:00 - Climbing Mountains You Don't Even Want to Climb 2:04:00 - When Your Mom Thinks Stand-Up Comedy Is a Drug Front
SPEAKERS
Trevor Noah
hostComedian and TV host, known for hosting The Daily Show and the podcast What Now?.
Eugene
hostCo-host on What Now? With Trevor Noah.
Cleo Abram
guestIndependent journalist and YouTube creator behind optimistic explainer videos about technology and the future.
EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of What Now? With Trevor Noah, featuring Trevor Noah and Eugene, Cleo Abram: What Could Go Right? explores cleo Abram on optimism, explainers, YouTube, and responsible curiosity today Cleo Abram explains her three-part “Huge If True” standard—genuinely good explanation, genuine optimism, and visual beauty—as a safeguard against clickbait incentives and cynicism.
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