(fanfare intro music)
- The first thing I want to start with
is that Google also sent us
the year's trending searches about me, yeah.
Like, "How tall is Trevor Noah?"
Well, I'll tell you, my doctor says I'm 5'11",
but 6'2" is my goal height.
I'm hoping to hit it next year.
They also searched, "What accent does Trevor Noah have?"
Obviously, I'm Australian,
but ever since I got hit in the head,
I've started talking like this.
Luckily though, I've been going to speech therapy
and I'm slowly getting better, mate.
But what I really learned from the year end search
is that 2021 was a year of healing
and everyone had a lot to heal from.
There was the Corona virus itself,
the trauma of the past two years.
Personally, I had to heal from all the muscles I pulled
from hugging people again.
It had been so long, my body wasn't used to that motion.
And part of healing was getting back into the world.
We finally got to spend time with our families again.
And as a wise philosopher once said,
"It's all about family."
And the reason we were able to start living our lives again,
was thanks to the vaccine.
Because vaccines in America are readily available now.
But you have to remember when they first dropped,
everyone was trying to get them all at once.
I had to constantly refresh a website
to book an appointment at a stadium.
It was like I was trying to buy
my immune system Beyonce tickets.
Yes, we were still dealing with the pandemic,
but as the world reopened,
we had to take on other challenges as well.
And that included taking care of our mental health.
This year, it felt that the conversation about mental health
has been de-stigmatized.
Thanks in part to people like Naomi Osaka
and Simone Biles who spoke out about their own struggles.
They both showed how important it is
to put your mental health first.
Because if Simone Biles can take a mental health day
from the Olympics, you can cancel those catch-up drinks
with your friends you haven't seen in three years.
In fact, I'll let you in on a little secret.
They want to cancel, too.
Another step people took toward healing this year
was searching for a better work-life balance.
Because 2021 made people reconsider work.
Do you have to work in person or can you stay remote?
It's a time to look for something new.
If you do go back,
can you pull off being a hat person from now on?
I saved the pandemic, made you a Kangol guy.
Live your truth.
This was just one of the ways
people try to come back stronger.
We strive to be more resilient and to get our voices back,
which for some was a metaphor,
but maybe for some people it was literal.
Maybe they lost their voice from COVID.
Maybe they traded it to a sea witch
in exchange for true love or, better yet, a pair of Yeezys.
And when it came to people getting their voices back,
it was a big year.
Meghan and Harry told this story to Oprah.
Britney Spears was freed
from her family's unjust conservatorship.
She's free, people.
She can say and do whatever she wants now.
She can even see that snake again.
It's been 20 years.
And people weren't just interested
in healing their own lives this year.
They wanted to heal the nation and the world,
whether it was Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ rights,
fighting antisemitism, or stopping violence
against Asian people, except in the movie "Shang Chi",
'cause that movie was dope.
Let's be honest, superhero movies need fighting.
Kind of all the characters being like,
"I guess we'll just talk through our problems?
May I please have the 10 rings?
I asked nicely."
We also spent 2021 trying to heal the planet, too,
because climate change is one thing
that definitely didn't quit its job after COVID.
And so many people did their part
from the world leaders of the COP26 Climate Summit
to your aunt who regifted you the socks you gave her
for her birthday last year.
It's not rude, it's reducing her carbon footprint.
So that was 2021, a year of healing and recovery
and, hopefully, it'll put us all on the right track
for a great 2022.
(piano music)
- This year has been extremely challenging for me.
I am broken.
And I am healing.
- [Woman 1] I'm here at the Memorial Wall
and I wanted to do something to remember my mum.
- For some reason, I'm having anxiety.
Obviously, it's normal
with everything that's going on right now.
- I think I'm gonna take a break for a while.
- You can get through and if you can get through it,
there's a greater reward on the other side.
- Just like anybody else,
you know, I'm just trying to do my little part
to try and save my community. - Ah.
- [Man 1] I'm just really excited we're back out.
- And I am smiling under my mask.
(commentator talking indistinctly)
(man talking indistinctly)
(people cheering)
- You guys, it's been so long. (audience cheering)
- You're looking at yourself in the mirror
and you're just like, "There I am."
- Be your best.
Never ever, ever stop dreaming.
I don't care what they tell you.
(audience applauding)
- [Man 2] We, the jury, in the above entitled matter
as to count three, find the defendant guilty.
- I am born an Asian.
- We are not drowning.
We are fighting.
- The planet gets (indistinct) about climate injustice.
No action is too small.
- [Man 3] We just have to band together as a community
and get people's lives back.
(woman squeals)
(man laughing)
- Even as we grieved, we grew.
That even as we hurt, we hoped that even as we're tired,
we try that we'll forever be tied together victorious.
(inspiring music)
(inspiring music fades)
(upbeat outro music)