UPDATE, MARCH 31 (3:25 p.m.): Comedy Central released a statement saying the network "stands with" the new "Daily Show" host Trevor Noah:
.@ComedyCentral stands with @Trevornoah. pic.twitter.com/UnL4DZFjee
— Comedy Central Press (@ComedyCentralPR) March 31, 2015
Trevor Noah has not yet hosted a single episode of "The Daily Show" but he is already becoming a polarizing figure.
After it came out yesterday that the South African-born comedian would be replacing Jon Stewart as host of Comedy Central's satirical news show, reporters and fans eager to learn more about the Noah took a deep look at his Twitter account.
Buzzfeed's Tom Gara went on Noah's Twitter feed and retweeted jokes that some found offensive. From there, the situation went viral.
Most of the highlighted tweets focus on poking fun at women, overweight people and Jews.
Opinions on Noah's social media history have varied.
Vox's Kelsey McKinney wrote that the host of "The Daily Show" should be "held to a higher standard."
Dave Itzkoff of The New York Times pointed out that Noah is not the first comedian this has happened to.
"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," he wrote.
Yes, it can be argued that the tweets are borderline offense, but comics have always been expected to balance on a slippery slope between funny and hurtful. That's not always fair.
Twitter was not around when beloved current "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart was an up and coming comic. That is the case for many of today's most successful comics.
