Meet Wil Sylvince - My Favorite People

On this week’s episode, comedian Wil Sylvince, one of Trevor’s favorite people, joins Trevor and Dave for a loose, funny conversation about comedy, soccer, wearing your own merch, and the strange routes people take into stand-up. A longtime friend, Wil brings the kind of chemistry and storytelling that only comes from years of friendship and life together on the road. 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 00:00 - Intro 02:22 - Haiti Makes the World Cup & Chaos Before the Podcast Starts 05:00 - Will’s Sleep Problems & Life Doing Late Night Comedy 08:02 - Growing Up Haitian in Brooklyn & Feeling Like Outsiders 10:50 - Trevor and Will’s Comedy Cellar Friendship Story 12:10 - Therapy, Sleep, and Immigrant Attitudes Toward Mental Health 17:19 - Will the Engineer: Curiosity, Electronics & Comedy 18:12 - Papa Doc, Dictatorship & Why Will’s Parents Fled Haiti 22:18 - Dictators, Oppression & How Evil Systems Stay Powerful 26:47 - Will’s Solar Paint Idea & Engineering Mindset 28:36 - How Will’s Parents Escaped Haiti 32:25 - Will’s Father Secretly Sabotaging Papa Doc’s Military 35:28 - Starting Over in America as Haitian Immigrants 38:20 - Racism in Boston & Haitian Immigrant Reality 43:10 - Trevor Relates South African Apartheid to Haitian Stories 47:41 - Papa Doc’s Secret Police & Living in Fear 49:15 - Divide and Conquer: Slavery, Fear & Informants 58:03 - Growing Up in Brooklyn With Strict Haitian Parents 01:00:10 - Respecting Women, Family Values & His Grandmother 01:01:52 - Losing His Grandmother, Mother & Father 01:04:15 - The Harsh Reality of the American Healthcare System 01:08:14 - Trevor Shares His Mother’s Hospital Experience 01:11:18 - How Healthcare Became Controlled by Corporations 01:15:24 - Discovering Comedy Through Rodney Dangerfield & Joan Rivers 01:20:03 - Meeting Dougie Doug & Starting Stand-Up Comedy 01:24:13 - Bombing on Stage for the First Time 01:27:13 - “Interpretate,” Language Mistakes & Why Will Is Naturally Funny 01:30:58 - Getting Booed at Black Comedy Clubs 01:35:18 - Working in Robotics While Chasing Comedy 01:38:39 - Haitian Parents vs Choosing Comedy as a Career 01:39:40 - Will’s Mother Accidentally Seeing Him on TV 01:46:22 - Making It at the Comedy Cellar 01:48:30 - Touring With Katt Williams & Legendary Comedy Stories 01:49:39 - Trevor’s First Big Break in Los Angeles Thanks to Katt Williams 01:57:10 - Aziz Ansari’s Movie “Good Fortune” & Acting 02:01:36 - Boxing, Discipline & Why Will Started Training 02:02:50 - Strict Religion, Fear of Girls & His First Hug 02:05:09 - Losing His Virginity at 24 02:06:30 - Health Journey, Weight Loss & Giving Up Sugar 02:13:30 - Trying Exotic Foods & Becoming a Pescatarian 02:14:20 - Writing a Haitian Boxing Movie 02:15:32 - Why Will Never Takes Nights Off From Comedy 02:17:08 - The Infamous Sprinter Van Road Trip Story

Wil SylvinceguestTrevor Noahhost

May 21, 20262h 19mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: May 21, 2026
Duration: 2h 19m
Channel: What Now? With Trevor Noah
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

On this week’s episode, comedian Wil Sylvince, one of Trevor’s favorite people, joins Trevor and Dave for a loose, funny conversation about comedy, soccer, wearing your own merch, and the strange routes people take into stand-up. A longtime friend, Wil brings the kind of chemistry and storytelling that only comes from years of friendship and life together on the road. 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 00:00 - Intro 02:22 - Haiti Makes the World Cup & Chaos Before the Podcast Starts 05:00 - Will’s Sleep Problems & Life Doing Late Night Comedy 08:02 - Growing Up Haitian in Brooklyn & Feeling Like Outsiders 10:50 - Trevor and Will’s Comedy Cellar Friendship Story 12:10 - Therapy, Sleep, and Immigrant Attitudes Toward Mental Health 17:19 - Will the Engineer: Curiosity, Electronics & Comedy 18:12 - Papa Doc, Dictatorship & Why Will’s Parents Fled Haiti 22:18 - Dictators, Oppression & How Evil Systems Stay Powerful 26:47 - Will’s Solar Paint Idea & Engineering Mindset 28:36 - How Will’s Parents Escaped Haiti 32:25 - Will’s Father Secretly Sabotaging Papa Doc’s Military 35:28 - Starting Over in America as Haitian Immigrants 38:20 - Racism in Boston & Haitian Immigrant Reality 43:10 - Trevor Relates South African Apartheid to Haitian Stories 47:41 - Papa Doc’s Secret Police & Living in Fear 49:15 - Divide and Conquer: Slavery, Fear & Informants 58:03 - Growing Up in Brooklyn With Strict Haitian Parents 01:00:10 - Respecting Women, Family Values & His Grandmother 01:01:52 - Losing His Grandmother, Mother & Father 01:04:15 - The Harsh Reality of the American Healthcare System 01:08:14 - Trevor Shares His Mother’s Hospital Experience 01:11:18 - How Healthcare Became Controlled by Corporations 01:15:24 - Discovering Comedy Through Rodney Dangerfield & Joan Rivers 01:20:03 - Meeting Dougie Doug & Starting Stand-Up Comedy 01:24:13 - Bombing on Stage for the First Time 01:27:13 - “Interpretate,” Language Mistakes & Why Will Is Naturally Funny 01:30:58 - Getting Booed at Black Comedy Clubs 01:35:18 - Working in Robotics While Chasing Comedy 01:38:39 - Haitian Parents vs Choosing Comedy as a Career 01:39:40 - Will’s Mother Accidentally Seeing Him on TV 01:46:22 - Making It at the Comedy Cellar 01:48:30 - Touring With Katt Williams & Legendary Comedy Stories 01:49:39 - Trevor’s First Big Break in Los Angeles Thanks to Katt Williams 01:57:10 - Aziz Ansari’s Movie “Good Fortune” & Acting 02:01:36 - Boxing, Discipline & Why Will Started Training 02:02:50 - Strict Religion, Fear of Girls & His First Hug 02:05:09 - Losing His Virginity at 24 02:06:30 - Health Journey, Weight Loss & Giving Up Sugar 02:13:30 - Trying Exotic Foods & Becoming a Pescatarian 02:14:20 - Writing a Haitian Boxing Movie 02:15:32 - Why Will Never Takes Nights Off From Comedy 02:17:08 - The Infamous Sprinter Van Road Trip Story

SPEAKERS

Wil Sylvince
guest
Haitian-American comedian and writer/actor associated with the Comedy Cellar.
Trevor Noah
host
Comedian and podcast host of “What Now? With Trevor Noah.”

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of What Now? With Trevor Noah, featuring Wil Sylvince and Trevor Noah, Meet Wil Sylvince - My Favorite People explores wil Sylvince talks Haiti, comedy origins, health, and survival stories Wil recounts his parents fleeing Papa Doc’s Haiti, including family loss, secret police terror, and his father’s covert sabotage within the military to save lives.

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