Suffice it to say, Trevor Noah will not be burning Colin Kaepernick jerseys to protest the San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback’s inequality protest.
The “Daily Show” host weighed in on the divisive topic Tuesday, and his message to those taking issue with the NFLer’s national-anthem boycott was only slightly short of “shut up.” The Comedy Central personality essentially called out those on the other side of the coin for being hypocrites.
Noah then (a bit oddly) compared the militant black-glove salute — which Tommie Smith and John Carlos displayed at the 1968 Olympics and which some pro football players have adopted in their recent protests — to Superman’s flying motion. The risky joke fell a bit flat in the studio.
Fortunately, he then came with a better one. “Colin Kaepernick could be the Muhammad Ali of this generation,” Noah said. “I mean, aside from the achievements and talent and stuff.”
A little later, Jon Stewart‘s successor got a ton of jockstraps dumped on him for insulting American football. And, scene. Watch the video above.
Kaepernick has been making headlines since the preseason for refusing to stand during his team’s pregame “Star-Spangled Banner” acknowledgement. The former starter first took a seat on the bench all alone — Kaepernick has now upgraded to kneeling alongside whichever teammate(s) will join in.