Trevor Noah filled downtown San Francisco with laughs — and sometimes uncomfortable giggles — with an hour-long Clusterfest set at the outdoor Colossal Stage on Friday, June 1.

Sticking with what he knows best, “The Daily Show” host talked about the headlines that have taken over the news cycle, from Roseanne Barr and President Trump to immigration, racism and gender inequality.

“How is this real life?” he asked the crowd, which roared with laughter after each punch line.

But his approach to many of the topics included hilarious yet sweet anecdotes that tied back into his upbringing in South Africa and his interracial family.

At one point, recalling a racist experience he had in Chicago, Noah impersonated the driver who yelled at him by screaming “n—” (with a hard “r”) into the microphone so loudly it echoed through the corridors of Civic Center Plaza as a quick hush came over the crowd.

“Clusterfest, it happened in a moment but it lasted a lifetime. It was the most amazing thing ever. I stepped into the road, he drove his truck around me, rolled down the window ... and I turned and said, ‘Yo, my n—!’ And he almost crashed and died,” he deadpanned.

“I’ve never seen a human being question himself so many times in a split second in my life,” he continued, laughing. “And then I don’t know why he did this, but I’ll never forget that he did: He looked at his hands … as if he magically turned black … like I cursed him with a n— bomb or something.”

Earlier in the buildup of the joke, Noah also skillfully weaved in commentary on carbon emissions.

“I’m not going to lie. I was disappointed,” he said of the racist driver, “mostly because he was driving a pickup truck. I just felt that was an unnecessary stereotype he didn’t need to perpetuate. I feel like if you’re going to be racist, do something different. Think outside of the box. Drive a Prius. Yeah, it’s better for the environment and it’s quiet. You can sneak up on me. We both win.”

Noah also joined “Daily Show” correspondents Roy Wood Jr., Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta, Dulce Sloan and Desi Lydic in the Larkin Comedy Club at the start of the festival on Friday for a panel titled “The Daily Show Live: A Conversation With Trevor Noah and the World’s Fakest News Team.”

Mariecar Mendoza is the arts content editor for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: mmendoza@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SFMarMendoza Instagram: @sfchronicle_scene