(CNN)Comedy Central is standing by Trevor Noah after he faced heavy criticism from the Internet community less than 24 hours after being named Jon Stewart's replacement as host of "The Daily Show."
Fans of the show scoured Noah's Twitter to learn more about the comedian and found several "offensive" tweets he wrote about overweight women and Jews.
Noah responded to the backlash on Tuesday, via Twitter, saying: "To reduce my views to a handful of jokes that didn't land is not a true reflection of my character, nor my evolution as a comedian."
Noah responded to the backlash on Tuesday, via Twitter, saying: "To reduce my views to a handful of jokes that didn't land is not a true reflection of my character, nor my evolution as a comedian."
Comedy Central defended the comedian as well, saying, "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."
Comedy Central announced Monday that the 31-year-old South African with three appearances on "The Daily Show" under his belt would take over the show for Stewart, who told told his audience earlier this year that he would be stepping down as host. Noah, who has had a Twitter account since 2009, has a little more than 2 million followers and usually uses Twitter to promote comedy shows or share random observations.
Many Twitter users, including the Anti-Defamation League, have taken to the platform to show their distaste for his tweets.
Despite the backlash, many have defended the comedian.
Photos: The changing face of late night
James Corden's résumé isn't limited to "The Late Late Show," which he started hosting in March. He's a Tony winner and movie actor ("Into the Woods"), and CBS just announced he'll be hosting the 2016 Tony Awards. As "Late Late Show" host, Corden replaced Craig Ferguson, who left the show in December 2014. The face of late-night TV has changed considerably in recent years as many longtime hosts have moved on to other things. Here's a look at the leading players.
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Photos: The changing face of late night
Comedian Trevor Noah succeeded Jon Stewart as host of "The Daily Show" in September.
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Photos: The changing face of late night
With his barbed jokes about political hypocrisy, Jon Stewart won enormous acclaim over his 15-plus years hosting "The Daily Show." He announced in February that he was leaving the Comedy Central fake-news program this year to focus on other projects. His directing debut, "Rosewater," was released in late 2014.
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Photos: The changing face of late night
Stephen Colbert, a former "Daily Show" correspondent, took opinionated cable news network hosts' me-first, confrontational style and parodied it mercilessly on "The Colbert Report." He replaced David Letterman on "The Late Show" in September.
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Photos: The changing face of late night
Larry Wilmore took over Colbert's Comedy Central slot with "The Nightly Show," which premiered in January 2015. Prior to "Nightly," Wilmore was the "Daily Show's" "senior black correspondent."
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Photos: The changing face of late night
John Oliver, another former "Daily Show" correspondent, went to HBO for his "Last Week Tonight" and has gained acclaim for his in-depth -- and still humorous -- looks at such issues as the Miss America pageant and Internet neutrality.
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Jimmy Fallon took over the "Tonight Show" from Jay Leno in 2014, and unlike the previous hand-off -- between Leno and Conan O'Brien -- the transition went very smoothly. Fallon has brought in a younger audience, and his bits often go viral.
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Jimmy Kimmel oversees ABC's late-night show, "Jimmy Kimmel Live," which has gained popularity for such bits as "Mean Tweets" and his alleged triangle with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
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Photos: The changing face of late night
Conan O'Brien took over Letterman's NBC "Late Night" spot when Letterman departed for CBS and hosted the "Tonight Show" for about seven months in 2009. After leaving NBC, he joined TBS (like CNN, a part of Time Warner) and has been hosting "Conan" there since 2010.
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Photos: The changing face of late night
Seth Meyers hosts "Late Night" on NBC. The show was taken over by Fallon after O'Brien left, and Meyers -- a former "Saturday Night Live" writer and "Weekend Update" anchor -- started hosting it in early 2014.
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Photos: The changing face of late night
David Letterman was the Grand Old Man of Late Night -- but he's now left the stage (and desk, chair and mic combination) to his younger colleagues. He signed off May 20, 2015.
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