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Jon Stewart comes to the defense of Trevor Noah

The current host of 'The Daily Show' has spoken out in support of the new host after a media backlash caused by controversial past tweets by the South African comedian.

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Brad Barket/FILE/AP
FILE PHOTO - This Nov. 30, 2011 photo shows television host Jon Stewart during a taping of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" in New York. Stewart is voicing full support for his “Daily Show” successor Trevor Noah, calling the incoming host “incredibly thoughtful and considerate and funny and smart.” Stewart made his comments on the Monday, April 6, 2015, edition of the Comedy Central fake news show.

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 it’s 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 Jewish Anti-Defamation League, issued a statement cautioning 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.

“We talk about things a lot more openly in South Africa. [Race] is more talked about,” Joey Kok, South African media expert told the Monitor. "There is a lot of shying away from too much confrontation in terms of race talk [in the US]. There, people are so politically correct.”

Comedy Central has yet to announce a date when Stewart will formally cede the program to Noah. But when the time comes, the man who help create the cable comedy network hit will be watching – just maybe not live.

"I’m excited for where he’s going to take this thing," Stewart said on the show. "And I’m going to watch. I’m gonna set my DVR."

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