Trevor Noah understands change is hard, especially for fans of beloved TV shows.

"When Aunt Viv changed on 'The Fresh Prince [of Bel-Air],' I was like, 'What the hell is going on?'" Noah recalled last week on the phone from his New York City office. "Then after a while, you're like, 'Oh yeah, there was an old Aunt Viv. I forgot about that.'"

No offense to the actresses who played Will Smith's mother figure, but Noah is living through a more daunting task: taking over “The Daily Show” from Jon Stewart, the man who built the brand — and brought sharp, political wit, insight and credibility to Comedy Central — from 1999 to 2015.

Noah — a 32-year-old native of Johannesburg, South Africa — said most fans, even Stewart loyalists, realize a transition like this takes time and patience.

“A lot of the fans that have stayed have gone, ‘Yeah, we completely understand it is difficult because the guy left,'” Noah said. “All I can do is work slowly every day to create my show.”

Before his standup tour stops at the Hippodrome Theatre Saturday, Noah discussed Donald Trump, election season, DeRay Mckesson's run for mayor, Kanye West and more. This interview has been edited and condensed.

Let's talk standup first. Given how polarized the country feels right now, politically, what kind of effect is that having on audiences?

It's an interesting one. One thing I've always enjoyed all over the world is my audiences aren't determined by their political affiliation. I have very mixed audiences. I don't have to actively try to maintain it; that's just what I have. So old and young, black and white, whatever the mix is, Hispanic, Indian — I just get mixed audiences at my shows. I think it's because in my comedy, I don't present a fixed standpoint. I like to argue all sides. I like to make jokes about everyone and everything. I think everyone is open to ridicule and general observation.

Due to apartheid, stand-up comedy in South Africa is a relatively new concept. When you were growing up, what was your exposure to stand-up comedy and how accessible was it?

Oh, there was no stand-up because there was no free speech. So that didn’t exist before 1994, and I mean, the standup scene in South Africa really only started around 1998.

So in terms of your exposure, did you have to wait until 1994 and then you were playing catch-up with the greats?

No, not even. I never had exposure to the greats. The first time I saw an international comedian was Eddie Murphy and I was already 22-years-old. But comedy exists beyond professional comedy. People tell jokes all over the world. People are entertaining each other all over the world. It’s just the formalization of that is something that didn’t exist in South Africa.

Donald Trump is still performing extremely well in the race for the Republican nomination. How surprised are you, and is it a delightful surprise given the material he inspires?

That's the funny thing: I'm not surprised. That's the joy of coming into a situation with a different perspective. I've traveled the world. I've seen all different types of leaders winning all different types of elections. When I first took over at “The Daily Show,” people were all like, “Oh wow, does Trump shock you?” I don't find him shocking. I've seen leaders like him before. I've seen his style before. So I understand that this might be shocking to the electorate right now, but I'm going, “Yeah, this is just something that can happen, and I guess something that is happening now.”

I enjoy it to a certain degree but then what happens is Donald Trump almost overdoes it. I always used to complain about this in South Africa, where I said, “Politicians become so funny and there's so much buffoonery that you end up not having anything to talk about.” They give you the jokes, let's be honest. All of us are extremely spoiled to the point it's almost like overindulging in the fact that the guy is doing all the work for everyone. So that's why when I do my standup shows, I don't do anything about that because it's everywhere. I don't like to be doing the thing that everyone's doing.

On "The Daily Show," Trevor Noah discusses Ben Carson's assertions that President Barack Obama does not represent "the black experience" in the United States. On "The Daily Show," Trevor Noah discusses Ben Carson's assertions that President Barack Obama does not represent "the black experience" in the United States. SEE MORE VIDEOS

Let’s take Trump out of the next equation. When the primaries are over, which candidate will you miss most from a comedy perspective?

Oh wow, I think it’s going to be Ben Carson. He’s been comedy gold for me. Ironically because of Trump, I find him nuanced and measured in terms of his comedy delivery. He has gems here and there, and you know, he has a few quirks here and there as well. But I find it’s not all on or all off, so I enjoy that.

DeRay Mckesson was a guest on your show this year. What do you think of his movement and his decision to run for mayor?

Well, I don't think he has a movement — like his movement. He's a person who's an activist, you know? I think he's a very smart guy. He has some really brilliant points of view, and he challenges politicians and the establishment in the right way. I'm not a resident of Baltimore, so I'm not reading everything in terms of voting for him, but he seems like a pretty solid guy. You just hope that he'll take energy into whatever position he may or may not get.

Speaking of Baltimore, what did you think of the news coverage of last year's riots?

It was disparaging. You always see people being labeled or being criticized for what they do, depending on the points of view of the people reporting on them. It's disheartening to see. Let me put it this way: The Oregon militia. It was reported as if, for the most part, they had a valid concern. It was reported as if these guys were organized and there was a purpose. It didn't give off a sense of anarchy. It didn't give off a sense of being militants that were trying to destroy America. It seemed like they had a legitimate argument, so they were voicing their concerns through armed retaliation, taking over a wildlife refuge. Whereas the riots and the protesters who were involved with some of the riots in Baltimore were labeled as a mass-thug movement.