Trevor Noah Says Trump’s Rally in Arizona Seemed Like a Success — Kind Of

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Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. What do you think of it? What else are you interested in? Let us know: thearts@nytimes.com.

Trump’s Not-Quite-Campaign Rally

Trevor Noah took a close look at President Trump’s rally on Tuesday in Arizona. He said the event seemed like a success, at least if you dampen your expectations.

“Last night’s rally was packed. I mean, there was a line around the block like someone was releasing a racist sneaker. And when the show started, it started with a bang. Mike Pence’s wife let him attend — and Ben Carson came out of hibernation to lukewarm up the crowd.” — TREVOR NOAH

Conan O’Brien pointed out that people at the rally spent some time assailing the mainstream news media. But he said there might be one network they dislike even more.

“At yesterday’s Trump rally the crowd was chanting, ‘CNN sucks.’ And man, you do not want to hear what they have to say about the Science Channel.” — CONAN O’BRIEN

‘Michael the Black Man’

The “Daily Show” correspondent Roy Wood Jr. returned to the air on Wednesday to examine the crowd at Mr. Trump’s rally. He focused in on one person in particular: the lone black man shown behind Mr. Trump throughout the rally, holding a sign saying “Blacks for Trump.”

“He’s got a perm and a ponytail. It’s too much. Look at his sign: Everybody else had preprinted signs. Do you know why he wrote ‘Blacks for Trump’ by hand? That’s because the minimum order is 100.” — ROY WOOD JR.

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Mr. Wood explained that the man goes by the name “Michael the Black Man,” and was once a member of the Yahweh Ben Yahweh cult, which was responsible for over a dozen killings, including some by beheading.

TREVOR NOAH: Wait, that’s a real thing? That’s the guy standing behind the president at a rally?

ROY WOOD JR.: Don’t freak out about it. He wasn’t accused of beheading anybody — though he was accused of gouging a dude’s eyes out with a stick. But he was acquitted. It was the ’90s. [Expletive] was crazy, Trevor. Hammer pants, cocaine — everybody had a stick in the ’90s.

The Punchiest Punchlines (All-Conan Edition)

“In Saudi Arabia, a 14-year-old boy was detained for dancing to the Macarena. You know, I don’t say this often, but I gotta side with the Saudi government on this one.” — CONAN O’BRIEN

“In her new book, Hillary Clinton calls Donald Trump — this is true — a creep who made her skin crawl. When he heard this, Trump smiled and said, ‘I still got it.’” — CONAN O’BRIEN

“It’s being reported that President Trump is no longer speaking to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Yeah, upon hearing this, Melania went to McConnell and said, ‘Teach me, master.’” — CONAN O’BRIEN

The Bits Worth Watching

The lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner” were written by a Baltimorean. Here’s a version of the song, in “Bald’morese.”

Over on “The Daily Show,” the vocalist Andra Day had a more insurgent song to sing. After speaking with Mr. Noah and Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative about the history of lynchings in America, Ms. Day performed Billie Holiday’s classic anti-lynching anthem “Strange Fruit.”

What We’re Excited About on Thursday Night

The N.F.L. player-turned-actor Nnamdi Asomugha will appear on “The Daily Show” on Thursday to discuss his new movie, “Crown Heights,” which tells the real-life story of Colin Warner, who spent 21 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. Guess who will be speaking to Trevor Noah alongside Mr. Asomugha: Mr. Warner himself.

Also, Check This Out

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Many Americans professed to being shocked after Mr. Trump suggested that there were “good people on both sides” at the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this month. But cultural critic Wesley Morris writes that “to watch the movies or TV — or even to catch the hype for a certain boxing match — is to know that normalized white supremacy has been here all summer.”

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