Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Jon Stewart is standing by his man.
Returning from a hiatus, the Daily Show host made it clear on Monday night’s show that he still supports his named successor, Trevor Noah.
Acknowledging a “kerfuffle” on Twitter over tweets Noah made about Jewish people and women, Stewart joked that Noah, “will earn your trust and respect … or not. Just as I earned your trust and respect … or did not. Or sometimes earned it and then lost it and then kind of got it back and then it was like, ‘F*** that guy!'”
Then, more seriously, he added, “I do hope you give him an opportunity to earn that trust and respect.”
Stewart said, “My experience with him is that he is an incredibly thoughtful and considerate and funny and smart individual, and I think if you give him that time it’s going to be well worth it.”
He added, “I’m excited for where he’s going to take this thing.”
Stewart’s support echoed that from the show’s network, Comedy Central.
Following the controversy, which arose a day after Noah was announced to take over as host, the network said 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.”
The comedian also defended himself on Twitter.
“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,” he wrote.
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