Comedian Trevor Noah spent part of his Singapore visit on the pickleball court, playing matches with local players between performances at a comedy festival, ahead of his debut shows in Kuala Lumpur on 9 and 10 November.
According to Pickleball News Asia, the Emmy-winning South African and former host of The Daily Show was in Singapore for three performances at the Just For Laughs Singapore festival, held at The Star Theatre from 3 to 5 November. During his stay he went to The Sports Arena at Singapore Expo, where he played alongside locals.
One of his partners was actress Jaime Teo, who described the meeting in an Instagram post on 5 November. She said Noah had been a very encouraging partner, although the pair lost heavily.
The visit appears to have been planned. A local coach who asked not to be named told AsiaOne that Noah had contacted players before the trip to arrange private matches. Another coach, Eddie Ong, wrote on Instagram about spending two days rallying and exchanging banter with the comedian.
Noah is a keen player with a rating of 3.9 on DUPR, the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating platform, a level the report says places him above the average recreational player.
Local player Joshua Seow was impressed by his game. "He has surprisingly quick hands, killing us with his counters," Seow told CNA Lifestyle. Seow added that Noah offered tickets to him and several friends after they missed out on the comedian's final show, which had sold out.
The games also found their way into Noah's act. An AsiaOne reader reported that during his 5 November set he joked about being soaked in sweat because the venue's air-conditioning had not yet been turned on. He also quipped that in Singapore people recognised him, whereas in Hong Kong he had often been mistaken for Canadian singer The Weeknd.
Noah's Asia tour took him to Hong Kong in late October before Singapore. His Kuala Lumpur performances will be his first in the city.