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Trevor Noah 'nailed it' on his first night as Daily Show host

Cape Town - Trevor Noah on Monday night officially took over the reigns from award-winning satirist Jon Stewart.

The South African kicked off his new Daily Show hosting gig by thanking the legend whose gigantic shoes he now has to fill.

"Jon Stewart was more than just a late night host. He was often our voice, our refuge and in many ways, our political dad," Noah said. "And it's weird, because dad has left. And now it feels like the family has a new stepdad...and he's black, which is not ideal," Noah joked.

The South African comedian added that Comedy Central had offered the hosting job to a woman and to Americans, but were turned down.

"Once more a job Americans rejected is now being done by an immigrant," he said.

Watch his opening monologue here:


Twitter reacts to Trevor's first night:

A quick look at Twitter after Noah's first episode and the overwhelming feeling is that he "nailed it".

"So psyched about the new #DailyShow. Loved it! @Trevornoah nailed it. Yay!," tweeted Flight of the Conchords actress, Kristen Schaal.

"Loving watching @Trevornoah killing it on @TheDailyShow," The Late Late Show host, James Corden tweeted.

USA Today tweeted; "Trevor Noah's smile is downright infectious. We're saying it now. #DailyShow."

Most of the feedback online praised Noah for making the show his own, which according to a recent interview with the New York Times was exactly what Noah aimed to do.

"Jon specifically said: 'Make your show. Make your best version of it. His suggestions were very simple and yet very difficult to decipher. He's like a Jewish Yoda. He said to me: 'Make the best show that you feel needs to be made. And trust your discomfort,'" Noah told the New York Times. 

Critics review the show:

Even the critics had praise for Noah's first night.

"Trevor Noah opened his first Daily Show with a perfect mix of funny and poignant remarks. The South African comic charmed, scored belly laughs and paid homage to his predecessor with just his few minutes on the air," The Wrap praised the 31-year-old's first appearance behind the desk.

Of course some threw caution to the wind. USA Today wrote; "Someday, The Daily Show may truly belong to Trevor Noah. But not yet. To be fair, how could total ownership of that Comedy Central staple transfer in just one night, when Jon Stewart had 16 years to turn it into an institution? Any new host would need some time to catch up and take over, and newcomer Noah is no exception."

Watch it in South Africa:

South Africans can catch Noah’s first episode on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on Comedy Central (DSTV channel 122) on Tuesday 29 September at 21:00.

MultiChoice is opening the Comedy Central (DStv 122) channel for a week from 28 September to DStv Compact subscribers so that they can watch the start of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.

Viewers will be able to catch episodes from 30 September online at comedycentralafrica.com.

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