Estee Adoram: The Gatekeeper of Funny artwork

Estee Adoram: The Gatekeeper of Funny

What Now? with Trevor Noah

July 30, 2026

Estee Adoram is a comedy legend. You've never seen her on a stage, but every comedian you love has had to earn her approval.
Speakers: Trevor Noah, Estee Adoram, Eugene, Dave
**Trevor Noah** (0:04)
Who's your personal favorite comedian?

**Estee Adoram** (0:06)
You.

**Trevor Noah** (0:07)
No, don't do that.

**Estee Adoram** (0:08)
You asked me a possible question. No, but I like... You asked a question. No, no. It's...
I have people I like more than others. But this is like asking a mother that has 15 children, who is your favorite?

**Trevor Noah** (0:25)
No, which one would you go downstairs to watch more than the other?
There's got to be one child where you're like... And I only mean this because they just happen to like hit everything that you want from the comedy and the... Do you get what I'm saying?

**Eugene** (0:37)
Let me break it down for Estee. Basically, Estee, think of it this way.

**Estee Adoram** (0:40)
Don't break it down for me. I know exactly what he's asking. I'm trying not to answer.

**Eugene** (1:09)
You're the only person I know who refuses to get a cover for your phone.

**Trevor Noah** (1:12)
You know, I think I've made a terrible mistake.

**Eugene** (1:14)
Screen protector, do you get one?

**Trevor Noah** (1:15)
A cover for your phone? Yeah, but I'm willing to accept that I've made a terrible mistake.

**Eugene** (1:20)
Of not getting a cover or getting the orange phone?

**Trevor Noah** (1:22)
Yeah, in fact, I'm going to say this. Phone companies need to just start making the phone in the cover.

**Dave** (1:30)
Wait, are you saying you don't have a phone cover?

**Trevor Noah** (1:32)
No, I don't.

**Dave** (1:33)
He never has. You know in this world of, what's the word, so much consumerism and stuff, it's hard to know who's rich and who's not rich. So it's the little things like they tell you. And then a person is like, I don't have a phone cover. Then you're like, this guy's boring. He doesn't have a phone cover.
Do you know what I'm saying? So you don't have a phone cover? No.
But what happens if you drop your phone in the cracks? Isn't your life going to be ruined?

**Estee Adoram** (2:01)
No.

**Eugene** (2:02)
Yeah, that's like the equivalent of no condom usage because I'm rich and then if I get it, and then I'll take ARV. I'll be fine, guys.

**Estee Adoram** (2:08)
Don't worry about me.

**Dave** (2:09)
I was told you gotta have children.

**Trevor Noah** (2:10)
Yeah, I thought you guys went very different directions.

**Dave** (2:12)
Yeah, you're inceptioning me.

**Trevor Noah** (2:16)
You went like, those are crazy different directions.

**Estee Adoram** (2:19)
No, no, no.

**Trevor Noah** (2:19)
So let me explain.

**Dave** (2:20)
Let me explain.

**Trevor Noah** (2:20)
First of all, you are right.
Like, I don't, I actually don't think you... One element is like how much money you have, but I think the other one is how much pain you're willing to sustain if your phone falls. Because no matter how much money you have, the phone, you still have to now replace it. You still have to get another one. You still have to transfer the things over, then the apps don't work, and now you've got a whole story. Yeah, you're fully in that world.

**Dave** (2:46)
You're fully an app person.

**Trevor Noah** (2:47)
No, because he updated his phone, and then he just gave his other phone to Apple very confidently. He was like, yeah, take the old one, I'm out.

**Dave** (2:56)
And then gave it as in?

**Eugene** (2:58)
He traded it in.

**Dave** (2:59)
Okay, cool.

**Trevor Noah** (3:00)
And then now none of his apps, all his apps are like new phone, who dis?

**Eugene** (3:04)
Yeah, all apps and e-mails are like no, because I mean I've got two-step authentication.

**Dave** (3:09)
Yes.

**Eugene** (3:09)
And the second step is your phone number.

**Trevor Noah** (3:11)
Yes.

**Dave** (3:12)
And then the phone number. I don't change my things. So when my apps, sometimes they're like-

**Eugene** (3:16)
What do you mean you don't change your things?

**Trevor Noah** (3:18)
He doesn't change anything.

**Dave** (3:19)
I don't change like-

**Eugene** (3:19)
Underwear?

**Dave** (3:20)
No, man. I mean like my technology. I still have a phone from like six years ago or something.

**Eugene** (3:26)
We can tell when we phone him.

**Trevor Noah** (3:28)
When we phone him, you can tell that Dave still has a phone from six years ago.

**Dave** (3:31)
So what happens with me is the apps stop being-
It's like you should have passed away by now. Do you know what I mean? It's like the apps stop- They're like this is not for-

**Trevor Noah** (3:41)
Oh yeah, they don't accept-

**Dave** (3:42)
No, his technology-

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