Trevor Noah, the new host of The Daily Show, has spoken out in defense of himself following a social media backlash over comments he made about women and Jews in tweets dating back to 2009. The South-African comedian, who is little-known in the US, rocketed to national fame on Monday after he was named as longtime host Jon Stewart's replacement on the satirical news program. However, the excitement surrounding the announcement was tinged by hundreds of Internet users accusing the 31-year-old - who is a quarter Jewish - of anti-Semitism for his 'offensive' posts. But in a tweet on Tuesday, Noah told his two million followers: 'To reduce my views to a handful of jokes that didn’t land is not a true reflection of my character, nor my evolution as a comedian.' It comes as Comedy Central, which hired Noah as a correspondent on the show just three months ago, has defended its newest star as a 'provocative' comedian who 'spares noone, himself included'. Scroll down for video . Response: Trevor Noah (pictured), the new host of The Daily Show, has spoken out in defense of himself following an online backlash over comments he made about women and Jews in tweets dating back to 2009 . 'Not a true reflection': In a tweet on Tuesday, Noah told his two million followers: 'To reduce my views to a handful of jokes that didn’t land is not a true reflection of my character, nor my evolution as a comedian' This is one of the five tweets dating back to 2009 that bloggers have been dragging up and complaining about . One Twitter user accused Noah's remarks as being 'a tad stereotyped', as well as 'borderline anti-Semitic' Another user told Noah to 'grow up', adding  he was 'no longer a fan' of the 31-year-old South African comedian . In a statement, the network said: 'To judge him or his comedy based on a handful of jokes is unfair.' It added: 'Trevor is a talented comedian with a bright future at Comedy Central.' Noah, the son of a half-Jewish Xhosa mother and a Swiss father, was a trending topic on Twitter on Monday night as he drew fire for jokes that were described as tasteless, hateful, and unfunny. The controversial tweets were posted between 2009 and 2014. In May last year, Noah tweeted: 'Behind every successful Rap Billionaire is a double as rich Jewish man. #BeatsByDreidel.' A year earlier, he posted: 'Note to self - Langostines are not Jewish prawns.' Meanwhile, during a soccer match in January 2012, he joked: 'Messi gets the ball and the real players try foul him, but Messi doesn't go down easy, just like jewish chicks. #ElClasico.' He also slammed the United States' midsection in a 2013 tweet, writing that 'When flying over the middle of America the turbulence is so bad. It's like all the ignorance is rising through the air.' And in 2009, Noah, who can speak an impressive six languages, wrote: 'Almost bumped a Jewish kid crossing the road. He didn't look b4 crossing but I still would hav felt so bad in my german car!' On Tuesday, the tweets were being posted online by enraged bloggers, who slammed Noah as 'racist'. One said: 'Jon Stewart, born Leibowitz, won't be happy about these highly antisemitic tweets.' Roseanne Barr was among those calling out the  comic, who has a global following and two million Twitter followers, writing: 'U should cease sexist & anti semitic 'humor' about jewish women & Israel.' Meanwhile, a blogger posted Noah's tweets in an article, with the comment: 'Trevor Noah, the racist, hack taking over for Jon Stewart is also quite the anti-Semite too. Obama and progressive liberals really will love this guy. Among some of the skits that Trevor Noah came up with was the Black Hitler.' However, one Twitter user, Jack Obora@JackObora, had a different opinion on the matter. He tweeted: 'Seriously who reads through six years of tweets to try and find something to be offended about? #TrevorNoah #DailyShow.' Viewers have lamented the end of Jon Stewart's 16-year stint on the show . Regardless of users' opinions, the tweets showed a different side to Noah than the picture painted by Comedy Central and the comedian himself just a day earlier. In a phone interview on Monday from Dubai, where he was traveling on a comedy tour, Noah - who is no stranger to tackling controversial issues on-air - likened himself to New York-born Stewart. He said: 'One thing we both share: We are both progressives,' adding: 'traveling the world I've learned that progressives, regardless of their locations, think in a global space.' Noah, who joined The Daily Show just three months ago and speaks an impressive six languages, was being pitched by Comedy Central as reflecting a new age of global multiculturalism. He is  'a citizen of the world,' in the words of Michele Ganeless, the network's president. His dry, cutting humor was also singled out by producers as the winning formula to win over viewers. Successor: The 31-year-old South African comedian (pictured in 2012) has been named successor to Stewart, 52, who will step down from his role on the show this year . Appearance: In 2012, Noah became the first South African stand-up comedian to feature on NBC's The Tonight Show (pictured). In 2013, he became the first to appear on CBS's Late Show With David Letterman . Noah was named as the program's new host a little more than a month after Stewart unexpectedly announced he was leaving The Daily Show following 16 years as its principal voice. According to The New York Times, a slew of better-known potential replacements chose to move on to competing networks. However, the reaction to his appointment was overwhelmingly positive. Noah brings a wealth of hosting experience helping him, in Ganeless' words, check 'off every box' on her network's list of requirements. Also important: he has kindred spirit Stewart's blessing. 'All I needed in my life was Jon's blessing. That's what I have, so I'm looking forward to being part of The Best Damn News Show in the World,' Noah told the Associated Press. Although no dates have been disclosed, Stewart will likely depart by the end of the year. Noah, who grew up in Gauteng and starred on the South African soap opera, Isiding, will take over soon after. Tough act to follow: Noah was not surprisingly reverent of extremely popular departing host Jon Stewart as he tweeted Monday about the news he's the next host . On Monday, Ganeless spoke of the advantage of introducing Noah to a mainstream U.S. audience through The Daily Show, with viewers coming to the show he hosts with no preconceptions. 'They will get to discover him, and form their opinions of him, as they watch him host,' he said. But by Tuesday, some opinions were already forming. Weighing in on Noah's selection, a Slate column compared his vetting to that of Sarah Palin as a running mate for presidential candidate John McCain. The choice of a new host for The Daily Show is a critical decision not only for the satirical-news program, but for the network, whose identity has largely been forged by the Daily Show franchise, which for years was followed by the likewise signature The Colbert Report. By the end of this year, Comedy Central will have completely remade this programming block. In January, African-American comic Larry Wilmore replaced the The Colbert Report hosting The Nightly Show. Born to a black mother and white father in South Africa, 31-year-old Noah was not allowed to live with either parent and even passed off by family as albino because, under apartheid laws, different races could not mix . Trevor Noah, 31, grew up in Soweto, South Africa, the son of a Xhosa mother and Swiss father. 'My mother had to be very clandestine about who my father was,' Noah told the Times. 'He couldn't be on my birth certificate.' For much of his childhood, his African family passed him off as an albino. Under apartheid laws, different races could not mix and he was not allowed to live with either of his parents. He reportedly once cracked to an audience, 'I was born a crime.' Noah began doing stand-up in South Africa in his twenties and has since leveraged his ability to speak six languages into an international career. He's hosted his own late-night show in South Africa, radio shows and awards shows. Noah is also the only South African comedian to ever perform on The Late Show and Tonight Show. But don't be too quick to connect him to the Dark Continent. He told Letterman in 2013: . 'They make it sound like a guy in leopard skin's going to come running on the stage.' Nonetheless, Noah's past is firmly rooted in South Africa's turbulent racial history. 'I didn't live a normal life,' he told the Times. 'I grew up in a country that wasn't normal.' More specifically, Noah says that after he began to do stand-up in his 20s, he quickly became aware that 'speaking freely about anything, as a person of color, was considered treason.' News of his new role spread quickly in South Africa. 'Over the years, Mr. Noah has proved that laughter is the best medicine and has helped our country and its people to find healing through laughing at themselves,' said Minister of Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa. 'South Africa is a microcosm of the world and there is no doubt that a global audience will find resonance in his humor,' he added in an email.
Trevor Noah, 31, spoke out in defense of 'anti-Semitic' tweets on Tuesday . Told two million followers they were not 'a true reflection of my character'
Added the 'handful of jokes' didn't represent his 'evolution as a comedian'
Comes as Comedy Central has also defended the new South-African host . The network said he was 'provocative and 'spares noone, himself included'
Noah, who is a quarter Jewish, has been praised for cutting-edge humor . One of his skits involves a 'Black Hitler'; Jon Stewart approves of him .