http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/01/arts/television/trevor-noah-new-daily-show-host-comes-under-scrutiny-for-tweets.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=fb-nytimes&bicmst=1409232722000&bicmet=1419773522000&smtyp=aut&bicmp=AD&bicmlukp=WT.mc_id
QuoteTrevor Noah, New 'Daily Show' Host, Comes Under Scrutiny for Tweets
Within hours of the announcement that he had been named the new host of "The Daily Show," the comedian Trevor Noah was subjected to the full scrutiny of the Internet. As potential audience members scoured his past work and his social media for more clues about the South African comedian, they uncovered many posts on his Twitter account that they deemed to be offensive to women or Jews.
Comedy Central announced on Monday that Mr. Noah, 31, had been chosen to succeed Jon Stewart as anchor of "The Daily Show," its satirical news program, when Mr. Stewart steps down this year. Though Mr. Noah has performed stand-up comedy around the world, he is not widely known in the United States, and he has appeared as an on-air contributor to "The Daily Show" only three times before he was promoted to host.
On Twitter, where he has had an account since 2009 and accumulated more than two million followers, Mr. Noah often posts irreverent statements that reflect his interests in popular culture, global politics and issues of race. As with many comedians, Mr. Noah's jokes can test the boundaries of what is socially permissible and what is in bad taste.
In several posts, Mr. Noah came across as mocking or derisive of women. In one from 2011, he writes: "Oh yeah the weekend. People are gonna get drunk & think that I'm sexy!" a quote that he attributes to "fat chicks everywhere."
In another post from last year, he quotes another Twitter user who writes, "When a woman is loved correctly, she becomes 10 times the woman she was before," to which Mr. Noah adds: "So she gets fat?"
Mr. Noah has also posted jokes about Jewish people and about Israel. As he wrote in 2009, "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!"
Another post from 2010 reads, "South Africans know how to recycle like israel knows how to be peaceful."
Reacting to some of Mr. Noah's jokes in a post for The Daily Caller, Jamie Weinstein, a senior editor, wrote that this tweet "does seem to suggest that Noah believes Israel is an inherently belligerent country."
Mr. Weinstein wrote that this was a potentially dangerous attitude for a new "Daily Show" host, adding: "Many young people don't watch 'The Daily Show' just to laugh — they watch the show to get their news. The show shapes perceptions."
Others seemed to shrug off these posts simply as unfunny.
Tom Gara, the editor of BuzzFeed's business news site, wrote on his Twitter account, "The most depressing thing about Trevor Noah's Twitter timeline, other than how bad he is at Twitter, is how often he replies to @UberFacts."
Others pointed out that he also has made fun of Americans, South Africans and people from numerous other countries. When a fan tweeted at him last October, asking him to please come to Texas, Mr. Noah replied, "But you've already got Ebola?"
It is not uncommon for comedians on social media to be criticized by other users who are unfamiliar with their routines or stage personas, or for comedians to distances themselves from older material as their views evolve and they become more accomplished.
Still, the controversy over Mr. Noah's tweets poses a challenge for Comedy Central and its prestige late-night comedy show. And it raises the question of why his Twitter account was not more carefully vetted before he was named host of "The Daily Show," a late-night show with a worldwide audience of fans as well as detractors.
Mr. Noah seemed aware on Tuesday of the controversy surrounding his tweets. Just before 9 a.m. Eastern time, he posted: "Twitter does not have enough characters to respond to all the characters on Twitter." The tweet was deleted shortly after.
Press representatives for Comedy Central did not immediately comment on Tuesday morning.
Comedian offends some with comedy.
This is news? I would have thought it was more of a job description. :hmm:
Let's go find that comedian who never offends anybody with his jokes to do biting news commentary. I am sure that will be a ratings getter.
Quote"Twitter does not have enough characters to respond to all the characters on Twitter." The tweet was deleted shortly after.
I mean seriously? That is like a 1950s one liner gag.
This is comedy?
His bigger problem seems to be that he's not funny.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on March 31, 2015, 09:49:48 AM
His bigger problem seems to be that he's not funny.
Well, yeah.
But "comedian is actually unfunny" is likewise not very newsworthy.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on March 31, 2015, 09:49:48 AM
His bigger problem seems to be that he's not funny.
Was Stewart funny before he was a Daily Show host? I've never actually seen him do stand up.
It seems to me he just need to have the right delivery and be able to do it with the right amount of charm and wit. American politics will provide the funny part.
I give him six months.
He pissed off Roseanne Barr, so he's doing something right.
Quote from: derspiess on March 31, 2015, 09:55:36 AM
He pissed off Roseanne Barr, so he's doing something right.
Did he sing the national anthem well or something?
Yeah, let's get Roseanne to sing the national anthem. What could go wrong there??
Quote from: Liep on March 31, 2015, 09:52:05 AM
It seems to me he just need to have the right delivery and be able to do it with the right amount of charm and wit. American politics will provide the funny part.
Anyone can read gags off a teleprompter, but you need to have an actual sense of humor for interviews to be funny.
I watched his bits on the Daily Show. I didn't really care for the "America the terrible" theme he had going in all of them. They have to dial that shit back, no one likes a foreigner mocking their country, no matter how fairly (and in my opinion it wasn't fairly at all). I hope he watches John Oliver's show for a while to see how to do these kinds of routines smoothly.
QuoteMany young people don't watch 'The Daily Show' just to laugh — they watch the show to get their news.
:lmfao:
Quote from: The Brain on March 31, 2015, 10:27:00 AM
QuoteMany young people don't watch 'The Daily Show' just to laugh — they watch the show to get their news.
:lmfao:
Could be worse - they could watch Fox to get their news.
Quote from: Berkut on March 31, 2015, 10:28:09 AM
Quote from: The Brain on March 31, 2015, 10:27:00 AM
QuoteMany young people don't watch 'The Daily Show' just to laugh — they watch the show to get their news.
:lmfao:
Could be worse - they could watch Fox to get their news.
OMG NOT THAT
Fox News is what old people watch.
I wonder who actually watches the news or reads a newspaper these days.
I haven't watched TV news since the 90s.
Quote from: crazy canuck on March 31, 2015, 10:32:36 AM
I wonder who actually watches the news or reads a newspaper these days.
The UK seems to be all about newspapers.
Quote from: garbon on March 31, 2015, 10:36:43 AM
Quote from: crazy canuck on March 31, 2015, 10:32:36 AM
I wonder who actually watches the news or reads a newspaper these days.
The UK seems to be all about newspapers.
That is at least some comfort.
Quote from: crazy canuck on March 31, 2015, 10:39:08 AM
Quote from: garbon on March 31, 2015, 10:36:43 AM
Quote from: crazy canuck on March 31, 2015, 10:32:36 AM
I wonder who actually watches the news or reads a newspaper these days.
The UK seems to be all about newspapers.
That is at least some comfort.
I don't know, have you ever read English newspapers?
Quote from: crazy canuck on March 31, 2015, 10:32:36 AM
I wonder who actually watches the news or reads a newspaper these days.
I read the physical New York Times twice a week. :smarty:
Quote from: Liep on March 31, 2015, 10:40:21 AM
Quote from: crazy canuck on March 31, 2015, 10:39:08 AM
Quote from: garbon on March 31, 2015, 10:36:43 AM
Quote from: crazy canuck on March 31, 2015, 10:32:36 AM
I wonder who actually watches the news or reads a newspaper these days.
The UK seems to be all about newspapers.
That is at least some comfort.
I don't know, have you ever read English newspapers?
Only the third page. :P
Edit: fixed screw-up. :P
I only read page 3 of the Sun personally.
I've seen this guy's stand up. He is quite funny. Though has the potential be a bit of a one trick pony with jokes about being mixed race.
What races is he mixing?
Quote from: crazy canuck on March 31, 2015, 10:32:36 AM
I wonder who actually watches the news or reads a newspaper these days.
I still read newspapers, but truth be said I haven't watched TV news in ages. It's just completely insubstantial.
Quote from: crazy canuck on March 31, 2015, 10:32:36 AM
I wonder who actually watches the news or reads a newspaper these days.
I watch the local news a couple of times a week. Can't remember last time I've read a newspaper.
In other news, who is this Noah dude?
Quote from: lustindarkness on March 31, 2015, 11:25:38 AM
In other news, who is this Noah dude?
A South African who makes unfunny jokes about race and hates America. Oh and he is taking over for John Stewart.
Quote from: crazy canuck on March 31, 2015, 10:32:36 AM
I wonder who actually watches the news or reads a newspaper these days.
People stuck at airports.
Patton Oswalt reacts with a Twitter essay to the "controbersy":
http://boingboing.net/2015/04/01/patton-oswalts-epic-twitter.html
:lmfao:
Caroline Siede sounds fun.
Quote from: DGuller on March 31, 2015, 10:14:27 AM
I watched his bits on the Daily Show. I didn't really care for the "America the terrible" theme he had going in all of them. They have to dial that shit back, no one likes a foreigner mocking their country, no matter how fairly (and in my opinion it wasn't fairly at all). I hope he watches John Oliver's show for a while to see how to do these kinds of routines smoothly.
This is probably the bigger issue so his tweets probably seem insulting rather than funny since he seems to have this theme of animosity, not so much humor.
I did not read this thread.
Quote from: DGuller on March 31, 2015, 10:14:27 AM
I watched his bits on the Daily Show. I didn't really care for the "America the terrible" theme he had going in all of them. They have to dial that shit back, no one likes a foreigner mocking their country, no matter how fairly (and in my opinion it wasn't fairly at all). I hope he watches John Oliver's show for a while to see how to do these kinds of routines smoothly.
I gotta say I had the same impression (I was afraid this may be my inner racism or something but did not like the guy too much for the reasons you mention). His entire shtick seemed to be "Africa is not worse than America and America sucks".
And yeah, John Oliver is great at it. This guy or Pierce Morgan aren't. I guess if you want to successfully run the "foreigner talking shit about America" shtick you need not to be an asshole.
Oliver really needs to drop that "Why is _____ still a thing?" segment though. His condescending Euroweenieness really shines through in that.
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on April 03, 2015, 12:43:07 AM
Oliver really needs to drop that "Why is _____ still a thing?" segment though. His condescending Euroweenieness really shines through in that.
Really? I thought it is spot on.
...
Anyway, now with Colbert gone and Stewart on his way out, I had to broader my US news sources - they now comprise Languish, Bill Maher and John Oliver.
Quote from: Martinus on April 03, 2015, 12:25:16 AM
Quote from: DGuller on March 31, 2015, 10:14:27 AM
I watched his bits on the Daily Show. I didn't really care for the "America the terrible" theme he had going in all of them. They have to dial that shit back, no one likes a foreigner mocking their country, no matter how fairly (and in my opinion it wasn't fairly at all). I hope he watches John Oliver's show for a while to see how to do these kinds of routines smoothly.
I gotta say I had the same impression (I was afraid this may be my inner racism or something but did not like the guy too much for the reasons you mention). His entire shtick seemed to be "Africa is not worse than America and America sucks".
What the hell? Agreeing with DG's reasons are perfectly fine (and not racist) but are you seriously saying that part of the reason you dislike him is because of his skin tone? :unsure:
No, I am saying that I disliked him for his anti-Americanism/pro-Africanism but I wondered if I may be subconsciously prejudiced against him. I am glad to see other people feel the same so it is probably not that.
Don't you ever question or examine your likes/dislikes of specific people because of subsconcious prejudice?
Sure like people I see with kids. -_-
Quote from: celedhring on March 31, 2015, 11:24:14 AM
Quote from: crazy canuck on March 31, 2015, 10:32:36 AM
I wonder who actually watches the news or reads a newspaper these days.
I still read newspapers, but truth be said I haven't watched TV news in ages. It's just completely insubstantial.
Same here, unless you consider The Weather Channel or Sportscenter to be news.
Everyone in the office but me watches local news every night. They act all weird & stuff when I tell them I never watch it.
Quote from: Siege on April 03, 2015, 12:20:06 AM
I did not read this thread.
Talk about "dog bites man." :P