PUBLISHED ONBYLaili AbdeenEmmy award-winning South African comedian Trevor Noah recently hit the pickleball courts in Singapore, where he played alongside local enthusiasts including actress Jaime Teo.
The former host of The Daily Show was in town for three performances at the Just For Laughs Singapore comedy festival held at The Star Theatre from Nov 3 to 5.
In her Instagram post on Thursday (Nov 5), Teo recounted a chance encounter with Noah at The Sports Arena at Singapore Expo.
"I definitely didn't start the day thinking I'll get to meet and even play a game with him," wrote Teo, describing Noah as a "very encouraging partner" although they "got trashed".
Noah, an outspoken pickleball enthusiast, has been ranked 3.9 by the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR) platform which rates players' performance, placing him above the average recreational player.
A local pickleball coach, who declined to be named, told AsiaOne that the comedian had reached out to him ahead of his visit to play some private matches with local pickleball enthusiasts.
Eddie Ong, a fellow pickleball coach who was invited to play with Noah, also posted in an Instagram post on Nov 5 saying, "Two days of fun rallies and trash talking on court with the one and only Trevor Noah".
Joshua Seow, another local player, also took to social media to share his encounter with the comedian.
Seow told CNA Lifestyle: "We had a great match going back and forth. He has surprisingly quick hands, killing us with his counters."
He added that he was grateful for how "kind" Noah was, having offered him and several friends tickets to his final show on Thursday after they were not able to secure any because the show sold out so quickly.
The comedian was in Singapore as part of his Asia tour, headlining the Just For Laughs Singapore 2026 comedy festival after performing in Hong Kong in late October.
According to an AsiaOne reader, Noah even referenced the pickleball games during his Nov 5 comedy set, joking that he was drenched in sweat because the air-conditioning had yet to be switched on as it was "too early".
He also joked that he appreciated being recognised for who he was in Singapore, after spending much of his time in Hong Kong being mistaken for Canadian singer The Weeknd.
Noah's next stop on his Asia tour is Kuala Lumpur, where he is set to make his debut performance on Nov 9 and 10.
AsiaOne has reached out to Teo and Seow for more information.
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