The Daily Show trended on Twitter in South Africa and America early today as Trevor Noah made his much anticipated debut as host at 5am South African time.
The show will be rebroadcast tonight at 9pm when Comedy Central will open to all DStv subscribers.
The Twitterati were charmed by the 31-year-old's “ever present smile” as the comedian did his first monologue.
He took the opportunity to tip his hat to his predecessor Jon Stewart who retired in August after 16 years hosting the current affairs comedy show.
Noah won American hearts by thanking Stewart for believing in him. “I'm not quite sure what you saw in me, but I'll work hard every day to find it. And I'll make you not look like the crazy old dude who left his inheritance to some random kid from Africa,” he said.
His first monologue was described as “fleet, charming, and reverential.” on Slate.com's culture blog Brow Beat.
The show received a rave review on the popular entertainment channel website, E! Online. Noah was called “a lot of fun” but looked wrong in thechair at first. However seconds later, “we were already feeling like he'd been there forever, and then we never wanted him to leave.”
The show, broadcast on Comedy Central, was also simulcast on MTV, VH1 and other channels owned by Viacom.
It saw Noah calling himself the “black step dad” following the departure of America's “political dad”, Stewart.
Calling the night surreal since growing up on the “dusty streets of South Africa,” he said he had never dreamed he would have an indoor toilet and a job as host of the show. “…now I have both and I'm quite comfortable with one of them,” he joked, leaving it to the audience to decide which.
To this, the Huffington Post welcomed him “home.”
It was not all praise for Noah though as Time.com called Noah's jokes about “Aids victims” and the death of Whitney Houston “erratically scathing.”
These kind of jokes were “not going to cut it”.
The review also noted that Noah seemed “satisfied to smirk at his own puns” calling for the “international perspective” he was said to bring to the show when he was announced the host in March.
USA Today said having been raised in South Africa during apartheid meant Noah could be, “perfectly placed to show us America from an outsider's perspective. But that requires more than just throwing the word 'global' around; and it means remembering that we're probably not ready for him to act as if his perspective and ours are the same.”
Noah's first guest was comedian Kevin Hart, who will be in Durban in March next year for his the South Africa leg of his comedy show tour, What Now.
Daily News