Here's what Jon Stewart has to say about *those* Trevor Noah tweets

Jon Stewart has defended his successor at The Daily Show, Trevor Noah, after some of his tweets were criticised as racist and anti-Semitic.

In a series of old tweets which surfaced after Noah's new job was announced, the 31-year-old South African comedian had make jokes such as "Messi doesn't go down easy, just like Jewish chicks" and "I'm watching Olympic women's hockey. It's like lesbian porn. Without the porn".

Addressing the "large kerfuffle", Stewart told views on The Daily Show on Monday night: "I can say this without hesitation: Trevor Noah will earn your trust and respect... or not, just as I earned your respect... or did not. Or sometimes earned it and then lost it, and then kind of got it back, but then it was like f**k that guy."

He told viewers it was worth giving Noah another chance, saying:

I do hope you give him an opportunity to earn that trust and respect because my experience with him is that he is an incredibly thoughtful and considerate and funny and smart individual. I think, you give him that time, and it’s going to be well worth it. I’m excited for where he’s going to take the thing. I'm going to watch.

Comedy Central also backed Noah last week, saying: "Like many comedians, Trevor Noah pushes boundaries; he is provocative and spares no one, himself included. To judge him or his comedy on a handful of jokes is unfair."

No video is available to embed but you can watch Stewart's remarks here.

More: Trevor Noah and Comedy Central have this to say about those tweets