'Forced and clumsy': Critics unconvinced after Trevor Noah's Daily Show debut as he curses and takes aim at himself in attempt to bring younger edge after Jon Stewart's lamented departure

  • Trevor Noah, 31, took over at Comedy Central's 'The Daily Show' Monday with a salute to predecessor Jon Stewart and some clever jabs at himself
  • Noah, who is South African, joked he won't make Stewart into 'some crazy old dude who left his inheritance to some random kid from Africa'
  • Noah also lampooned the papal visit, John Boehner's exit, the recent Mars discovery among other topics while keeping to the familiar format

By Dailymail.com Reporter and Ap

Published: 23:41 EST, 28 September 2015 | Updated: 12:32 EST, 30 September 2015

Trevor Noah was dismissed as 'clumsy' and 'forced' in his first set of reviews as The Daily Show host.  

The little-known South African comic made his highly-anticipated debut on Monday night, six weeks after his revered predecessor Jon Stewart stepped down.

And though most critics conceded he will grow into the role, his opening night was branded hit-and-miss, with too much focus on himself, and an awkward interview with Kevin Hart.

New host: Little-known South African comic Trevor Noah has taken over at Comedy Central's 'The Daily Show' with a salute to predecessor Jon Stewart and some clever jabs at himself

New host: Little-known South African comic Trevor Noah has taken over at Comedy Central's 'The Daily Show' with a salute to predecessor Jon Stewart and some clever jabs at himself

'With his ever present smile, he projects a genial, almost mild camera presence but lacks anything resembling the kind of edge that made Jon Stewart a name to be reckoned with,' wrote the New York Post's Robert Rorke.

Lloyd Grove of The Daily Beast agreed: 'Whereas Stewart often mined humor out of some off-kilter aspect of the fake news of the day, Noah trafficked in obvious and overworked jokes.

Grove added: 'While Noah’s opening-night performance skills were capable enough, his material was hit-and-miss—even the raucously cheerleading studio audience groaned at times—and he seemed, at least in his initial outing, to lack his predecessor’s valuable gift for exhuming laughs from the death of a punch line.'

Many speculated he suffered from first night nerves.

'As he grows more comfortable, he might even learn to laugh less at his own jokes,' said Hank Stuever in an otherwise positive review for the Washington Post.

'Noah seemed a bit over-amped,' wrote Robert Bianco for USA Today. 'There are no doubt going to be those who find his smile infectious, but he should not act like he's one of them.'

He took particular aim at Noah's repeated references to himself, saying 'it was a less than spectacular debut Monday — one that focused a bit too heavily on Noah's status as host.'

The opening monologue and first correspondent interview riffed on the handover.

Noah started by assuring viewers he won't try to make Stewart seem like 'some crazy old dude who left his inheritance to some random kid from Africa', and acknowledged that it must seem like dad has been replaced by a new stepdad, 'and he's black.'

He then had an exchange with correspondent Jordan Klapper to discuss John Boehner's resignation and who will replace him.

'Taking over for John... Boehner is a really big thing and it doesn't have to be a disaster,' Klapper said.

'Oh I don't know,' Noah replied, 'I can already hear people saying 'Jon, come back! Come back!''

Klapper concludes: 'I only hope that the new speaker of the House knows that certain people are depending on him... I just bought a new condo.' 

Like so many of us, Noah zeroed in on the little Fiat in which the pope--who, for his support of environmentalism and immigration, Noah called 'a young Bernie Sanders'--showed up to Washington, D.C. last week

Like so many of us, Noah zeroed in on the little Fiat in which the pope--who, for his support of environmentalism and immigration, Noah called 'a young Bernie Sanders'--showed up to Washington, D.C. last week

In a nod to the wildly popular former host whose shoes he's hoping to try and fill, Noah rounded out his intro by saying: 'Thank you for joining us as we continue the war on bull****' - and unlike in Stewart's era, it wasn't bleeped out. 

However, many critics hailed this as the cleverest segment.

Entertainment Weekly's Darren Franich conceded: 'You could argue that the biggest news item of September 28 was “Trevor Noah’s first Daily Show,” so some navel-gazing felt justified.' 

The New York Times pointed out a deliberately younger feel. 

'One key difference was a more liberal censor,' wrote  'An expletive that in Stewart's day would have been bleeped out was clearly heard a few times. 

The Guardian's Brian Moylan encapsulated most reviewers' overall response.

'Noah had an average first night, neither killing it nor completely embarrassing himself,' Moylan wrote. 'It will take him months to really find his rhythm and must distinguish himself with how he tackles certain key events.' 

After his intro, Noah quickly began riffing on the news - in this case Pope Francis' just-concluded visit to the United States.

And like so many of us, Noah focused on the little Fiat in which the pope--who, for his support of environmentalism and immigration, Noah called 'a young Bernie Sanders'--showed up to Washington, D.C. last week.

'Ohhh, that's a tiny car, someone's UNDERcompensating,' he said, before bleating, 'I'm saying the pope has a huge c***.'

Noah, who became a controversial choice for host within hours of the announcement when a handful of his old tweets resurfaced that targeted women, Jews and Ebola virus victims, then turned his attention to John Boehner.

'Why leave now? I just got here!': Boehner, the Republican Speaker of the House who announced last week amid intense pressure from the party's most conservative factions, could have been great fun for Stewart's replacement, he seemed to say

'Why leave now? I just got here!': Boehner, the Republican Speaker of the House who announced last week amid intense pressure from the party's most conservative factions, could have been great fun for Stewart's replacement, he seemed to say

Boehner, the Republican Speaker of the House who announced his resignation last week, could have been great fun for Stewart's replacement, he seemed to say:

'Why leave now? I just got here!'

The topic of Boehner's departure was a clever way for the show to address fears that Noah isn't up for the task of replacing another famous Jon.

'Everyone's feeling nostalgic for the old leader,' joked correspondent Jordan Keppler to audience laughter. 'But maybe the new guy will crush it.'

So did the new guy crush it? If Twitter is an accurate gauge, he could have done a lot worse.

Most of the social media reaction, while perhaps somewhat lukewarm, was congratulatory.

Noah's welcome was helped along when his fellow comic, the very popular Kevin Hart, stopped by as his inaugural guest. 

And Jon Stewart fans no doubt appreciated the many nods to the ex host, which included the classic show closing 'Moment of Zen', this one of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stammering when asked point blank if she'll miss her replacement John Boehner. 

The 31-year-old South African comedian until his ascension was relatively unheard of, apart from a worldwide fan base including 2.6 million Twitter followers who flocked to his shows from Sydney to Dubai ... and also, notably, Jon Stewart, who admired his work and reached out several years ago for a meet-and-greet.

That overture led to an invitation to drop by 'The Daily Show,' which Noah found to be 'the most daunting experience I've ever seen: There was an insane amount of work going on.'

Noah was eventually signed to make an occasional appearance as a correspondent.

Then, last February, Stewart announced he was leaving.

When Noah began getting feelers about being his replacement, 'I asked Jon, `Have you been kicked out?' He said, `No, I'm tired.''

Whereupon Noah asked him the big question: What was his stance on Noah as his successor?

Stewart's reply, according to Noah: 'Who do you think suggested you?'

A month later, he was tapped by Comedy Central.

'Then the whirlwind started,' Noah laughs.

Defying social-media admonishments, Noah argues that a smattering of dumb tweeted jokes, like anything unearthed from a person's digital past, serves usefully as evidence of what that person may have been and, more importantly, has moved beyond.

First guest: Noah's fellow comedian Kevin Hart stopped by to help welcome him as the new host's first guest

First guest: Noah's fellow comedian Kevin Hart stopped by to help welcome him as the new host's first guest

'Should we erase our history because someone will judge us by that now, in the present?' poses Noah, and says no. 'I think history is a reminder of what not to repeat.'

The uproar (including speculation that Noah might be pitched overboard) quickly subsided, but not before the story had been covered to death and, says Noah, too often driven by hearsay.

'It was a beautiful baptism of fire,' he says. 'What better way to learn the purpose of my new job than to be at the epicenter of many of the problems of how the media covers news?'

Certainly, Noah's new job is to quarterback the 'Daily Show' truth squad as it lampoons news makers and the media that cover them in the context of the serious business of the comically fake newscast.

'Comedy is a very powerful tool,' says Noah. 'The truest things are said in jest.'

He jests from the standpoint of someone born to a black mother and a white father 10 years before apartheid ended ('I was born a crime,' he sums up) whose mother had to walk ahead of him as a toddler, pretending not to know him if she saw the police.

'I come from a crazy place,' he says. 'When I was 25, my mother was shot in the head by my stepfather, an abusive alcoholic. I was so, so angry. But the first thing she said to me after she came out of the hospital was, `You need to learn to forgive. Then you'll be setting yourself free.''

He found a certain freedom in comedy, which he pursued, he says, not to vent his spleen, as with many comedians, 'but because I made people laugh.'

A man of mixed race and a stormy childhood, he saw himself as a perpetual outsider.

From the beginning, he joked about things that were on his mind, but even when they touched on painful social issues he was never fueled by anger, he insists. Nor is he now.

'I come from a country where everything that happened was impossible! A place where there was a bloodless revolution, where Nelson Mandela, let out of jail after 27 years, made peace with his persecutors. And now I have an almost delusionally optimistic view of America. I see a lot of progress here. I see a lot of hope.

'It's often difficult to see progress when you look at it one day at a time,' he muses. 'Like with a workout regime: Take a picture today, then take another picture not tomorrow or the next day, but after six or eight weeks. That will show you how far you've come.'

Maybe that's Noah's way of saying that to size him up as host after his first night, or his first week, can't address how far he plans to go.

Nonetheless, he has no doubts the media will pronounce an instant verdict. With their insatiable appetite for content, they treat each passing moment as a potential milestone, however specious it may be.

So Noah, reconciled to the foibles of the media, and eager to lampoon them for it, appears calm as he prepares for opening night.

But don't think he won't feel terrified, he says, 'the same way I feel now. I'm having nightmares! It's terrifying, it really is. But it's also extremely exciting. I'm trying to enjoy every moment of it.'

Comments (65)

Share what you think

 View all

The comments below have not been moderated.

 View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Add your comment

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now