Did Trevor Noah Steal This Joke From Dave Chappelle?

Trevor Noah's racism joke is awfully similar to a well-known Dave Chappelle joke.

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Image via Complex Original
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Over the summer The Fat Jew was in hot water for stealing jokes, after his interns he failed to attribute jokes or credit images. Patton Oswalt and other comedians called him out for it and The Fat Jew promised to always cite his sources from then on (though that was easier said than done.) Daily Show host Trevor Noah finds himself in similar waters after allegedly stealing a joke from the legendary Dave Chappelle during a standup set on Saturday.

Noah, who was performing at Los Angeles’ Politicon, made a joke about being a “racism connoisseur”—he’s South African—saying he discovered other forms of racism, not just blatant racism, when he came to America. He mentioned Kentucky’s “charming racism” saying, "I've always considered myself something of a racism connoisseur. I appreciate the finer racism. Not to say I appreciate all racism, but a finer racism."

Almost 20 years ago in 1998, before Chappelle fled to Africa, he also called himself a “racism connoisseur” during an an HBO special (as seen in the above video.) "You know, it's different region to region. Anyone ever been down South? So you guys know what I'm talking about. The racism down there is just fucking [bon appétit gesture] It's perfect," said Chappelle. Instead of shouting out Kentucky Chappelle mentioned Mississippi.

This isn’t the first time Noah’s been accused of stealing material. Comedian Russell Peters has said, “…He's stolen material from David Kau, he's stolen material from myself. You don't borrow in this business. If you're a comedian, that's like stealing somebody's underwear and putting them on. That doesn't make any sense. Why would you do that?" 

Here’s Noah’s full joke below, compare the two for yourself.

"Before I came to America, I thought I knew all kinds of racism. I've always considered myself something of a racism connoisseur. I appreciate the finer racism. Not to say I appreciate all racism, but a finer racism. Before I came here, blatant racism was my favorite. Blatant racism, where you know exactly where you stand, often perpetrated by old people, which I have always appreciated. They'll just tell it to you like it is. 'This is what I think about you!' Yeah, you're going to die soon ... Charming racism in America changed my life. I discovered it in a place called Lexington, Kentucky. Probably one of the most wonderful places I've ever been; charming, friendly people. Racism with a smile and a tip of the hat ... I was walking through the streets, a man walked up to me, didn't know me from a bar of soap, came straight up to me and looked me dead in the eye and he was like, 'Good afternoon, N—.' 'Good afternoon.' I've never seen racism with a smile. I didn't know what to do. He just said it like it was a fact. As if I fought him, he would have been like, 'What, didn't you know?'

[via THR]

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