It was recently revealed that Trevor Noah was paying the salaries of 25 furloughed staff out of his own pocket. Skilful guy points for the man who calls Hell's Kitchen not just his workplace but his home.

In an interview with Diverseness, a source said: "These are the people who have been on the bear witness with Trevor from 24-hour interval one and assist him put on the show. Trevor is personally roofing their salaries until the production business opens once again. He respects his coiffure tremendously and feels information technology's but right that they go through this together."

Since production ceased at the 11th Ave studios, Noah has been producing The Daily Social Distancing Show from his dwelling in Stella Tower, on W50th St – 9th/10th Ave. And it's proved so successful – the episode featuring an interview with Anthony Fauci had 43 million views – Comedy Key has increased the run time to 45 minutes.

And, while we're waiting for normal service to resume, let'southward revisit that fourth dimension we went behind the scenes, with set photographer Sean Gallagher …

It's incommunicable not to smile at Sean Gallagher's behind-the-scenes photographs of The Daily Prove, there's so much infectious joy (and more than the occasional sight of Lewis Black flipping the bird).

The guests he'south photographed over his more than two years behind the lens include Hillary Clinton, Anthony Bourdain, David Blaine, Ricky Gervais, and Tiffany Haddish. But even more intimate are the images of the bandage, crew (and #dailyshowdogs) who make the testify such a late-night TV phenomenon.

"One great thing about The Daily Testify is that yous literally never know who yous'll get to run across. Sometimes it's politicians, others information technology's actors or musicians or authors. One of my personal favorites is Neil deGrasse Tyson, the astrophysicist.

"Honestly, the whole affair has been pretty incredible. I compression myself almost every night when I walk out on to the floor and the audition is going admittedly crazy. If I had to pick, Trevor'due south first bear witness stands out, every bit does Jon'south last, being on the road. And the night Trump was elected was, of course, a big i."

That dark, the evidence broadcast live, and volition do so over again on November 6, the night of the midterm elections, with an episode titled Democalypse 2018: Let's Try This Again, America.

"Most nights, I recall all the tardily shows can get away with taping in the late afternoons, even in Trump'southward insane hyper news cycle. Just on ballot nights, it'southward great to be able to provide upward-to-the-minute material. Not to mention, the dynamic around the edifice is pretty bully. Anybody is clustered around TVs everywhere, information technology's very quiet while they're working on trying to distill what's happening into a coherent narrative for a good evidence.

"Live TV is always exciting," he adds. "I'd say viewers could expect an amped-up version of what they see well-nigh nights. But i never knows … especially at present with Trump."

But why does the show fifty-fifty have a ready lensman in the first place?

"I'm there to take still shots of the show, generally for press and social media," explains Sean. "Even in the age of video on Twitter/Instagram/news sites, still images are ubiquitous.

"Y'all can notice my images everywhere: on the testify's social media feeds, on the feeds of guests and correspondents, on the press site, on news stories virtually the evidence or Trevor.

"In a larger sense, I besides think of myself every bit working to illustrate the 'story of the show' – what life behind the scenes at The Daily Bear witness is really like. The production staff has been kind enough to requite me fairly gratis rein – I'm able to photo pretty much anything I'd like. This is a unique, interesting little globe, and I think of it every bit my job to capture that."

He'd been with the evidence for near seven years already, working in various backstage roles, while selling his own photographic prints every bit a sideline. "I've never been shy about talking about it around the show, and some of my images are hung around the building," he says. "And then, when Trevor took over, nosotros had a new focus on social media and what was possible online. The Expansion Squad – our social media gurus – were looking to accept a photo of the guest with Trevor every dark, and were shooting it with a telephone. Phone cameras are fantastic these days, but it takes work to arrive look like information technology wasn't shot with one. I started talking to a few people well-nigh having an bodily camera for those pics, and while they were at it, a photographer too.

"Since then, it's grown a lot in scope, which has made it more fun and interesting, as well as challenging."

The intention isn't so much to shoot portraits equally it is to capture aboveboard moments in the show. So Sean tries to fade into the background and collaborate with his subjects every bit little as possible. "The awareness of the presence of the camera in the room changes what goes on in front of it, which defeats my purpose – to catch genuine moments. Everything virtually what you see on television is 'produced' – the faces, the clothes, the angles, the time downward to the last 2nd. But nosotros're all human, and there's tons of realness amidst all that.

"That being said, these are still my coworkers and I see them every day, so information technology'south tough to keep a real distance. I accept a folder of people making faces at me or giving me the finger, which I too love."

Away from the TV cameras and the politics, and the dark-green room, his other piece of work couldn't be more dissimilar: highly detailed shots of feathers and bones, and beautiful boxes of the tools that have been passed down through his family of stagehands, their wooden handles worn smoothen by years of handling.

"My father built birdhouses and we had a grand full of them, also every bit feeders, when I was growing up, and so I've always been fascinated with birds. Photographing feathers was initially situational; I needed something minor to shoot in my little apartment when I had down fourth dimension. On a larger calibration, about of the objects I photo – whether they're feathers or my family's tools – are meditations on things we'd otherwise overlook in the rush of everyday life. Nosotros pass feathers constantly and never call up near them – in the city they're generally from pigeons, so the impression is they're dirty and total of bugs. But if I accept an inch-long plume, calorie-free information technology nicely, photograph it, blow information technology up four anxiety alpine and hang it on a wall, suddenly information technology's a little universe, with its own social club and chaos. Yous see all kinds of incredible details to wonder at. It takes you out of yourself and simultaneously centers yous."

A version of this interview previously appeared in the November 2018 outcome of W42ST magazine. Stay in touch with W42ST and be first to read stories similar this when you subscribe to our daily newsletter at w42st.com