As the news cycle spins on, the furor over newly-named “The Daily Show” successor Trevor Noah’s Twitter history has faded.
Last week, Comedy Central brushed off criticism from the Twitterverse and threw their support behind the comedian. Monday night on “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart took it upon himself to defend the comedian.
I know there was a large kerfuffle on Twitter,” he said, “but I can say this, I think without hesitation: Trevor Noah will earn your trust and respect,” And then he paused and smiled. “Or not. Just as I earned your trust and respect, or did not.”
Then Mr. Stewart continued, “Because my experience with him is that he is an incredibly thoughtful and considerate and funny and smart individual. And man, I think you give him that time, and its going to be well worth it.”
After the announcement that he will succeed Mr. Stewart at “The Daily Show” Mr. Noah, a South African stand-up comedian, came under fire for years-old tweets that some called racist, anti-Semitic, and sexist.
Last week, Abraham Foxman, the national director of the JewishAnti-Defamation League, issued a statementcautioning people not to jump to conclusions.
“We understand that comedians often use humor to poke fun at stereotypes and to push the envelope of political correctness,” Mr. Foxman’s statement read in part. “We hope he will not cross the line from legitimate satire into offensiveness with jokes calling up anti-Semitic stereotypes and misogyny.”
Comedy Central also weighed in on the controversy.
“Like many comedians, Trevor Noah pushes boundaries; he is provocative and spares no one, himself included,” the network said in a statement to Entertainment Tonight (ET) last week. “To judge him or his comedy based on a handful of jokes is unfair. Trevor is a talented comedian with a bright future at Comedy Central.”
Some in Noah’s native South Africa were confused about the backlash Noah’s tweets provoked.
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