Trevor Noah’s classy reply to French ambassador on World Cup joke
The Daily Show host Trevor Noah excited the online community with his bare knuckle response to French Ambassador to the United States Gerard Araud.
Ambassador Araud had criticized the comedian for congratulating Africa on France World Cup Victory.
France won the World Cup on Sunday to the excitement of African fans who had nicknamed the team African Union football team.
“I have gotten into a little bit of trouble with the French government. So France won the World Cup and on the show we celebrated that and I made this little joke where I said Africa won the World Cup and I was shocked at how angry a lot of French people got,” said Trevor Noah.
French Ambassador wrote the comedian a letter expressing his disapproval of his comments.
‘DENYING THEIR FRENCHNESS’
“I watched with great attention your July 17th show where you spoke at the victory of the French team. I heard your words about an African victory, nothing could be less true. As many of the players have already stated themselves, their parents might have come from another country, but a great majority of them all but two were born in France. By calling them an African team it means you are denying their Frenchness,” read part of the letter.
In his response Trevor Noah wondered why the French Ambassador could not recognize the players as being French and African at the same time.
“Here is what vexes me to be honest. when I read stories from Africa and watch what politicians say especially in France about African migrants, when they are unemployed, commit a crime or considered unsavory it’s the African immigrants. But when their children go on to provide a World Cup victory for France you should only refer to them as French,” said Mr Noah.
He concludeD; “So I will continue to praise them for being African because I believe that they are of Africa, their parents are from Africa and they can be French at the same time. And if French people say that they can’t be both then I think they are the ones who have a problem and not me.”
The French ambassador to the U.S. @GerardAraud criticized Trevor for congratulating Africa on France’s World Cup victory. Trevor responds #BetweenTheScenes: pic.twitter.com/5nJklXRyY8
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) July 19, 2018