Last night on The Daily Show, Jon Stewart took a moment to offer his support for new host Trevor Noah, and ask viewers to give him a chance.

Comedy Central has chosen South African comedian Trevor Noah to replace Jon Stewart as the host of The Daily Show.

Initially, this decision was met with cautious optimism from viewers, because despite the fact that he is relatively unknown to American audiences, Stewart and Comedy Central offered very high praise of his abilities.

However, Noah has since come under fire for a series of old tweets, which feature jokes of a questionable nature.

While Noah is known for his uncensored stand-up routine commenting on race and other charged issues, his tweeted jokes were seen as particularly cruel and offensive.

This has led a lot of Daily Show fans to denounce Noah, but Jon Stewart wants you to give him a chance to prove himself as host of the show.

“They have hired a new Daily Show host, Mr Trevor Noah, and I’m very exited about it,” Stewart said on his Monday night show. “I know there was a large kerfuffle on Twitter. But can say this, I think, without hesitation: Trevor Noah will earn your trust and respect… or not. Just as I earned your respect… or did not.”

Related: Jon Stewart reacts to public outcry over retirement: “Did I die?”

“The only thing I would say is, I do hope, you give [Noah] an opportunity to earn that trust and respect,” Stewart continued, “because my experience with him is that he is an incredibly thoughtful and considerate and funny and smart individual. And, man, 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 this thing.”

Comedy Central has also chimed in to defend Noah: “Like many comedians, Trevor Noah pushes boundaries; he is provocative and spares no one, himself included. To judge him or his comedy based on a handful of jokes is unfair. Trevor is a talented comedian with a bright future at Comedy Central.”