The French ambassador to the US, Gerard Araud, rebuked Noah on Wednesday in an official diplomatic letter, noting that "by calling [the French World Cup team] an African team, it seems you are denying their Frenchness. This, even in jest, legitimizes the ideology which claims whiteness as the only definition of being French."
The letter followed Noah's joke about Africa, rather than France, winning the World Cup. Reading back the letter to his audience in a stereotypical French accent, Noah challenged Araud's statement that "the rich and various backgrounds" of France's players was "a reflection of France's diversity."
"Now I'm not trying to be an ***hole but I think it's more a reflection of France's colonialism," Noah said.
As for Araud's "denying their Frenchness" remark, Noah suggested this was a reflection of the differing attitudes toward race and integration in France and the US. "This is what I find weird in these arguments that 'they're not African, they're French.' Why can't they be both?" he asked. The South Africa-born comedian praised America, saying that there "people can still celebrate their identity in their Americanness."
Noah's remarks sparked a backlash on Twitter, with users debating his sentiment and logic, and others accusing him of French-bashing and of trying to promote American superiority.