Well, it’s been only one day since relatively new Daily Show correspondent Trevor Noah was named as Jon Stewart‘s replacement, but it looks like the Internet beast has shifted from congratulatory remarks and who is this guy?s to full-on exposure of Noah’s pretty offensive past. Nice being at the top while it lasted, eh, Trevor?
As it turns out, beyond Noah’s three appearances on The Daily Show and a celebrated comedic career in South Africa, he also had (until as recently as last year) a very…amusing…Twitter persona. A major Internet shitstorm was unleashed on Noah after several of his tweets from the past few years were uncovered, exposing racist, sexist, and anti-Semitic remarks.
A hot white woman with ass is like a unicorn. Even if you do see one, you’ll probably never get to ride it.
— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) November 28, 2011
While a fair amount of the public seems to have turned their back on the newly appointed heir to the beloved Daily Show throne, Comedy Central has publicly backed their all-in bet on the man with an official statement:
Like many comedians, Trevor Noah pushes boundaries; he is provocative and spares no one, himself included. 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.
Noah also spoke out today about the controversy surrounding his tweets:
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.
While people are ready to fly off the handle about almost anything nowadays, the uproar about Noah’s past is actually quite valid.
In Thailand hookers are so cheap, even cheaper than food. Tough choice between Big Mac or Quarter Poundher Deluxe. — Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) January 5, 2011
Over the last sixteen years, Stewart used his program to champion the voice of women and other cultures by speaking at great lengths about the hypocrisy and struggles that each face every single day. Look no further than anything that longtime TDS champion Samantha Bee, rising star correspondent Jessica Williams, or Kristen Schaal have ever filed, from pieces about abortion laws and everyday street harassment, to conversations about the wage gap and the power of artistic self-expression. Stewart, and the incredible Daily Show writing staff, poked fun at the insanity of the world we live in without scraping the bottom of the barrel for laughs. (Fat girl jokes? Really?)
Beyond the crass nature of Noah’s words, his inability to own up to what he clearly thinks is funny enough to post on his Twitter is almost as unfortunate as his comments. Last time we checked, Twitter doesn’t force users to post anything—from boring daily routine updates to professing how much you love/hate…anything. Errors are made all the time, especially on the Internet, it’s just how an individual handle the cleanup that really counts.
Own up to your mistakes, Trevor, don’t try and convince us that you didn’t make them. Then we can all move on together.
(via Slate)
