Quite the roller coaster! Comedian Trevor Noah's stock fell just as quickly as it rose on Monday, March 30.
The funnyman was celebrated on Monday morning after being named as the new host of The Daily Show, following in Jon Stewart's footsteps. While the high stuck around for a few hours, the South African comedian faced a backlash soon after from those who took issue with his past jokes.
Noah, 31, was labeled as anti-Semitic and misogynist after social media users dug through the rising star's Twitter history. Critics pointed to Noah's jokes about Jewish people and women, raising questions about his taste level.
When Apple's May 2014 deal with Beats by Dre went through, Noah tweeted, "Behind every successful Rap Billionaire is a double as rich Jewish man. #BeatsByDreidel." While the tweet has since resurfaced, a few followers were less than pleased at the time, with one responding, "just a tad stereotyped don't you think, borderline anti/Semitic."
"There's only one rap billionaire," Noah shot back, referencing mogul Dr. Dre. "How is this stereotyping? Are you being serious right now?" Responding to another who called the words "racist crap," Noah wrote at the time, "Are you drunk who is this racist to? Jimmy Iovine is richer than Dr Dre. How is a fact racist? I don't need fans like you."
Another tweet that was targeted as anti-Semitic, this time from way back in 2010, is making waves as well. "South Africans know how to recycle like israel knows how to be peaceful," the South African-born Noah wrote at the time.
As for his words about women, Noah raised eyebrows with an October 2011 tweet reading, "'Oh yeah the weekend. People are gonna get drunk & think that I'm sexy!' – fat chicks everywhere."
While Twitter users wrote to The Daily Show to voice concern about the jokes, Noah has yet to respond to the backlash.
