South African comedian Trevor Noah has responded to calls for a boycott of his upcoming Australian tour, following criticism of a joke he made about Indigenous women in 2013.
Critics of Noah called for a boycott earlier this week over the controversial joke, which centred around the physical appearance of Australian Aboriginal women, and ended with Noah mimicking the sound of a didgeridoo while pretending to administer oral sex.
Responding to the criticism on Twitter, the Daily Show host said he vowed to “never make a joke like that again”, following a recent trip to Australia.
“You’re right,” he told one of his critics.
“After visiting Australia’s Bunjilaka museum and learning about Aboriginal history first hand I vowed never to make a joke like that again. And I haven’t. I’ll make sure the clip from 2013 is not promoted in any way.”
@joewilliams_tew you're right. After visiting Australia's Bunjilaka museum and learning about aboriginal history first hand I vowed never to make a joke like that again. And I haven't. I'll make sure the clip from 2013 is not promoted in any way.
— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) July 22, 2018
Responding to former NRL player Joe Williams — who helped lead the calls for a boycott — Noah said he is “always open to learning more” about Aboriginal communities.
I'd love to visit another community in Oz Joe. Always open to learning more ??
— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) July 23, 2018
The likes of actor and Australian First Nations Ambassador Nakkiah Lui and actor Tysan Towney criticised Noah’s 2013 joke earlier this week, accusing the comedian of racism.
https://twitter.com/nakkiahlui/status/1021162397564743680
@Trevornoah for such a social justice warrior, your race baiting isn’t smart or witty at all. It’s simply racist. Our beautiful black women shouldn’t be treated like the punchline of a joke. Congrats, you played yourself.
— Tysan Towney (@tysantowney) July 22, 2018
Noah is scheduled to arrive in Australia next month for a five-date stand-up tour, hitting venues in Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Sydney.
UPDATE: “I Wasn’t Trying To Hurt Anyone”: Trevor Noah Addresses His Offensive Joke About Indigenous Women
