TORONTO – Canadian comedian Russell Peters admitted Wednesday afternoon he was joking when he accused incoming The Daily Show host Trevor Noah of stealing his material.
Dozens of news outlets (including this one, which posted a report from The Canadian Press) published Peters’ comments on Channel NewsAsia’s show Conversation With in Singapore.
The Ontario-based comic called Noah a “thief” who also ripped off material from South African comic David Kau.
When asked if it was possible Noah “borrowed” his bits, Peters reportedly replied, “you don’t borrow in this business.”
On Wednesday, Peters tweeted that it was only a prank. “OMG I can’t believe how gullible the media are! Next time I’ll choose a less awkward time to prank U!”
Noah replied on Twitter that he would get his revenge.
Peters’ allegation was believable because Noah refuted similar claims from Kau in a 2013 interview with South African magazine Mahala. “Nobody owns comedy, nobody owns a premise, nobody owns an idea,” Noah said.
Since being named as Jon Stewart’s successor on the satirical Daily Show, Noah has also come under fire for racist tweets. That controversy prompted Stewart to come to his defence on a recent episode, urging viewers to give Noah a chance: “It’s going to be well worth it.”
– with a file from The Canadian Press
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