Trevor Gumbi (born 23 November 1980) is a South African comedian, writer, and actor. He is best known for co-hosting the Mzansi Magic entertainment magazine show Headline between 2010 and 2013. His activity on X, formerly Twitter, gained him prominence.
His name made headlines for his comedy special – Midlife Crises. He is not a newbie in showbiz and the entertainment space. His specialty is to turn a frowning face into a laughing one.
| Trevor Gumbi | |
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| Background Information | |
| Full name: | Trevor Gumbi |
| Born: | 23 November 1980 (age 43 years old) |
| Place of birth: | Durban |
| Nationality: | South African |
| Occupation: | Stand-up comedian, actor, scriptwriter, producer, M.C |
| Spouse: | Lucille Gumbi, now Slaffa (div.) Nande |
| Known for: | Headline |
| Brother: | Sphe Ngwenya |
Early Life
Trevor Gumbi was born on 23 November 1980 in Durban, the third-most populous city in South Africa. He has a brother, Sphe Ngwenya, who is a Disk Jockey.
Career
Gumbi stars as Gideon Gwinyimbuzi in the SABC1 sitcom Ses’Top La. His character is a dim-witted security guard who works at a reception. He was the show host of the Mzansi Magic travel show Msawawa True South with Trevor Gumbi.
The comedian writes monthly columns for Campus Cosmo and the Cosmopolitan magazines. He won votes as one of SA’s Twitter Kings in Cosmopolitan magazine’s January 2011 issue.
Trevor co-hosted a multi-day conference for Nando’s in 2005 with John Vlismas. The following year, he performed for an internal launch for McDonalds.
Gumbi performed in the FNB Lifestart campus roadshow. He traveled to tertiary campuses around the country. He is also active in the corporate market. He entertains executives and their staff with tailored material.
The television personality has appeared in many South African comedy events. Some include Oppikoppi, Rocking the Daisies, King-size comedy jams, and Blacks Only. He also performed at Laugh out Loud and Arts Alive comedy festival.
Trevor is a voice-over artist. He voiced in the animated series Jozi Zoo on e.tv and did skits on 5fm as The black guy at a Braai. He starred as Offside Vilakazi on the Vodacom Super 14 rugby season – The Desk with Offside Vilakazi.
With many television appearances, he is a known TV personality. He appeared on the SABC1 celebrity entertainment show The Real Goboza. He appeared as a featured comedian in the January episode of the Comedy Central series Comedy Central Presents… Live at Parker’s in 2013.
Gumbi performs as a standup comedian on several comedy club stages in South Africa. He starred as a humble man from Newcastle, Thomas Gumbi, who was in love with Mpho in the eKasi+ sitcom Van ‘n Sit.
The comedian took over from DJ Sbu as the host of the SABC1 game show Friends Like These. He started to star in his dark comedy-drama series, The Sober Companion, on SABC3. In 2017, he landed another starring role, Zach, in the SABC1 sitcom Rented Family.
Gumbi was a nominee at the 11th annual SAFTA under the category Best Actor in a Television Drama. Neels van Jaarsveld and Jerry Mofokeng were also nominees for the award.
Personal Life
Trevor Gumbi is married to Nande. He celebrated with his new wife to mark three years of marriage.
Gumbi and his ex-wife, Lucille Gumbi (now Slaffa), divorced in 2018. The duo were married couples for eleven years. Before his divorce, he was a drug addict and had filed for bankruptcy.
Confirmation of Gumbi’s separation from his first wife came after months of swirling rumors that their union was on the rocks. However, reports covered that the couple was trying to “work through” their issues.
Filmography
- 10 Over 10 as Commentator
- Abo Mzala as Sipho
- Black Tax as Guest Star
- Celeb Feasts with Zola as Guest
- Comedy Central Presents… Live @ Parkers as Himself
- Friends Like These as Host – Himself
- Glambition as Himself
- Headline as Host/Voice Artist
- How to Ruin Christmas as Siya Twala
- I Love South Africa as Contestant
- Lockdown as Charlie Mingers
- Rented Family as Zach
- Rockville as Sipho
- Rolling With… as Himself
- SAFTAs as Presenter
- ScreenTime with Nicky Greenwall as Himself
- Ses’Top La as Gideon Gwinyimbuzi
- Sober Companion as Trevor Gumbi
- Thandeka’s Diary as Hlomla
- The Bantu Hour as Cast Member
- The Close-Up as Himself
- The Real Jozi A-Listers as Trevor Gumbi
- The Road as Ramolao “Spaceman” Khoza
- The Search: E! Host South Africa as Guest Judge
- Tonight with Trevor Noah as a Cast Member
- Top Chef South Africa as Guest Judge
- Vat ‘n Sit as Thomas Gumbi