Ratings-Challenged Trevor Noah Takes On Fantasy Sports And Gets Mixed Response

Trevor Noah may be having a hard time attracting viewers with his stint on The Daily Show, but he definitely can make people talk about things. Late last week, Mr. Noah took on fantasy sports sites. Entertainment Weekly has the news.

“Trevor Noah used his platform as host of The Daily Show on Thursday night to take on the controversy surrounding daily fantasy sports. ‘Just like meth, these fantasy sites are popular, addictive and getting unwanted attention from the law,’ Noah said, before diving into the recent FBI investigation of daily sites like DraftKings and FanDuel.”

Trevor has put the spotlight on an issue that is increasingly becoming scrutinized. CBS recently wrote an article on how fantasy sports sites are under increased scrutiny.

“As more states scrutinize the daily fantasy sports industry, the office of Nevada’s attorney general said it used DraftKings’ own words and online images as evidence the sites qualify as gambling.”

CBS adds that a day after Nevada regulators ordered the sites out of the state unless they get a gambling licence, a memo issued on Friday cited a Reddit interview where DraftKings CEO Jason Robins compared his site to a casino and described the concept of the site as a mashup between poker and fantasy sports.

In an article on the same topic by Rolling Stone, Trevor Noah received mixed responses.

“I actually agree with him. These sports fantasy sites lead to addiction, like gambling. Not a big Noah fan, but I’m glad he’s making this an issue,” said commenter Alan Smith.

“I’m suppose to listen to a South African talk about football? Yeah whatever, Nelson Man-unfuuny. Go watch some boring soccer,” Tracy complained.

People commented on Twitter as well.

It’s been a tough few weeks for Trevor Noah. After struggling with ratings during his first week, he was soon accused of plagiarizing a joke. Gawker broke the news.

“Over the weekend, new Daily Show host Trevor Noah performed a short standup set at a convention in Los Angeles called Politicon. There, he did a bit about the varying extremes of racism he has experienced across America, which was insightful, but also a nearly exact replica of a decades-old Dave Chappelle joke.”

The Hollywood Reporter transcripted the part of the joke that was considered plagiarism, and it was very similar. Readers condemned Noah in the comments section and on Twitter. However, the same comments section proved that Trevor Noah still has his defenders.

“A comedian made a joke that’s very similar to a joke another comedian made 20 years ago? Stop the presses! Get out the pitchforks!” joked commenter Vanadise.

“You can easily see when haters are talking. This is the same thing they did to Justin Bieber just because he is not an American but has succeeded in America where some American have failed. Grow and stop wetting your pant. Common!” exclaimed Cadet Saint Louis.

Despite his low ratings, Trevor Noah has received some positive reviews from the mainstream media. Nobody should count him out yet. What do you think of Trevor Noah and his jokes about fantasy sports sites? Let us know in the comments section.

[Featured photo by Joe Scarnici / Getty Images]