Jon Stewart, Comedy Central Should ‘Rescind’ Trevor Noah’s ‘Daily Show’ Deal, Top Jewish Group Says
”How can one of the world’s most admired Jewish comedians leave his legacy to a sexist anti-Semite?“ American Jewish Congress President Jack Rosen asks
The American Jewish Congress is not laughing at incoming “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah, and members are none-too-pleased with Jon Stewart for handing over the reins to “a sexist anti-Semite.”
The AJC circulated a letter on Tuesday, asking recipients to sign a petition to stop Noah from inheriting the Comedy Central program. Their beef lies within a series of old Twitter jokes made by Noah, which AJC President Jack Rosen called “sexist, anti-Semitic” and “crude humor.”
“How can one of the world’s most admired Jewish comedians leave his legacy to a sexist anti-Semite?” Rosen asked in writing. “That’s why we’re calling on Jon Stewart: Rescind Trevor Noah’s Daily Show contract.”
At the time of this posting, Rosen’s petition had zero tweets and 75 Facebook shares.
“We hope he will not cross the line from legitimate satire into offensiveness with jokes calling up anti-Semitic stereotypes and misogyny,” National Director Abraham H. Foxman said. That was about as harsh as the group got, wishing Noah luck otherwise.
Here is a sampling of tweets that the American Jewish Congress took exception to: “South Africans know how to recycle like Israelis know how to be peaceful.”
And: “Messi gets the ball and the real players try to foul him, but Messi doesn’t go down easy, just like Jewish chicks.”
The American Jewish Congress describes itself as “the leading global Jewish advocacy organization. With offices across the United States and around the globe, and partnerships with Jewish communities worldwide, AJC works to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and to advance human rights and democratic values for all.”
Below is Rosen’s full letter (boldface and links are original to the AJC):
Last week, Comedy Central announced that South African comedian Trevor Noah would replace Jon Stewart as host of the Daily Show. A series of alarming jokes about women and Jews in Noah’s Twitter feed has since cast doubt on that choice.
Do sexist, anti-Semitic jokes really represent the comedy institution that Jon Stewart has spent the last decade building? Is this crude humor something that fans of the Daily Show will be receptive to? We don’t think so.
JEFFREY ROSS Dubbed Comedy Central's Roastmaster General, Jeffrey Ross is one of the wittiest stand-up comedians around. He's best known for his stinging insults, but the 49-year-old is intelligent enough to dish on a daily dose of news.
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KRISTEN SCHAAL Often Billed "The Daily Show's" Senior Women's Issues Correspondent, Schaal has been contributing to Comedy Central's flagship satirical news program since 2008.
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AZIZ ANSARI He's young, charming and has a huge following. Comedy Central has aired several of his stand-up specials, but would they give the "Parks and Recreation" star a chance behind the anchor desk?
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JOHN MULANEY The "Saturday Night Live" veteran is a prolific stand-up comedian as well as the star and creator of his own Fox sitcom, appropriately titled "Mulaney."
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LEWIS BLACK The veteran standup has been delivering his own uniquely aggressive brand of news on "The Daily Show" for even longer than Stewart. His bold, abrasive recurring segment "Back in Black" originated in 1996 when Craig Kilborn hosted the program.
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JOEL MCHALE McHale has been "The Soup's" hilarious host since 2004, so he certainly has the chops for a satirical series. But his E! show airs weekly, making "The Daily Show" a decidedly more demanding commitment for the busy actor, who also stars on "Community."
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CRAIG KILBORN Craig Kilborn hosted "The Daily Show's" first three years before Jon Stewart was even a twinkle in Comedy Central's eye -- who's to say he couldn't retake the reins? Sadly, sources tell TheWrap it's not in the cards.
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PAUL F. TOMPKINS Could Tompkins be "The Daily Show's" first ever mustachioed news anchor? His resume includes topical comedy shows like "Real Time With Bill Maher," "Best Week Ever" and "Comedy Bang! Bang!" and he also has his own critically adored podcast, "The Pod F. Tompkast."
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DANIEL TOSH Between "Tosh.0" and "Brickleberry," it's clear Comedy Central and Daniel Tosh have a good working relationship. But is the controversial comedian up to tackling daily news?
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CHELSEA HANDLER The late night landscape is pretty devoid of a female presence right now, but maybe Comedy Central will take a close look at Handler, who finished her run on E!'s "Chelsea Lately" in August.
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CRAIG FERGUSON Craig Ferguson ended his nine-year run behind the desk at CBS's "Late Late Show" in December, so there's a good chance he's available. But is he willing to step back into the treacherous waters of late night so soon?
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BRIAN WILLIAMS Why not Williams? The NBC News anchor was suspended for six months just minutes after Stewart dropped the bomb. Maybe he wants to try satire?
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