New Daily Show host Trevor Noah rejects criticism of Twitter jokes
Comedy Central defends incominghost of The Daily Show from 'unfair' attacks
Trevor Noah, the newly announced host of , rejected the backlash over his graphic tweets targeting Jews and women as an unfair reflection of him and his comedy.
"To reduce my views to a handful of jokes that didn't land is not a true reflection of my character, nor my evolution as a comedian," Noah posted on his Twitter account, the same one that included past tweets others deemed offensive.
Comedy Central also came to his defence, calling Noah a "provocative" comedian who "spares no one, himself included".
"To judge him or his comedy based on a handful of jokes is unfair," the network said in a statement, adding that he has "a bright future at Comedy Central".
Noah was announced as Jon Stewart's successor on Monday. The next day, he was a trending topic on Twitter as he drew fire for jokes described as tasteless, hateful — and unfunny.
Roseanne Barr was among those calling out the 31-year-old South African comic, who has an international following and two million Twitter followers.
"U should cease sexist & anti semitic 'humour' about jewish women & Israel," she tweeted.
Noah's controversial tweets were posted between 2009 and 2014.
In 2009 he wrote: "Almost bumped a Jewish kid crossing the road. He didn't look b4 crossing but I still would hav felt so bad in my german car!"
A 2012 post derides "jewish chicks". Another one from 2011 jokes about "a hot white woman". In a post from 2011, he writes: "Oh yeah the weekend. People are gonna get drunk & think that I'm sexy!"
He attributes the statement to "fat chicks everywhere".
The tweets showed a different side to Noah than the picture painted by Comedy Central and the comedian himself just a day earlier. Noah has likened himself to the New York-born Stewart, saying: "One thing we both share: We are both progressives."
Noah, the son of a black South African mother and white European father, was being pitched by Comedy Central as reflecting a new age of global multiculturalism, "a citizen of the world".
He was named a little more than a month after Stewart unexpectedly announced he was leaving following 16 years as the show's principal voice. Stewart is expected to depart by the end of the year, with Noah taking over soon afterward.
