Jon Stewart Defends Trevor Noah

From disbelief to doubt to now vilification, Trevor Noah has brought out a wide range of fan reactions after Comedy Central announced he would replace Jon Stewart as the host of The Daily Show . A day after the announcement was made, Internet users (unsurprisingly) dug up some of Noah's old tweets, a few dating back several years, and said the comedian used a number of anti-semitic and sexist jokes. The backlash has been so strong that apparently Stewart felt compelled to say something on air. During Monday's taping, Jon Stewart defended Trevor Noah on The Daily Show and asked fans to give the South African comedian a chance before they write him off.

While Stewart acknowledged the negative response on Twitter, he said he had faith that Noah would earn viewers' trust and respect. The host compared Noah's announcement to his own, saying he too wasn't always in viewers' good graces.

The only thing I would say is, I do hope, you give (Noah) an opportunity to earn that trust and respect, 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 it’s going to be well worth it. I’m excited for where he’s going to take this thing.

Since 1999, Stewart has led the late-night comedy show to grow into a premiere political forum, with top political guests that include President Obama. In February, Stewart said he would leave the comedy show, and there was a lot of speculation on who would be his replacement. Comedy Central revealed that Noah would take the reins of its bread-and-butter show late last month and was quickly thrown into damage control. Despite their pick's controversial tweets, the cable channel stood by Noah in a 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's jokes in question include, "Behind every successful Rap Billionaire is a double as rich Jewish man. #BeatsByDreidel," and "A hot white woman with ass is like a unicorn. Even if you do see one, you’ll probably never get to ride it."

In response to critics, Noah tweeted:

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.

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