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The January 18 episode of “Saturday Night Live” was a reminder that the quality of the show and its humor aren’t always dictated by writers or regular cast members, but often by what the host is willing to bring to the evening. And what did host Dave Chappelle provide for his fourth round headlining Studio 8H? Not much beyond his own vanity.
Following a cold open that saw MSNBC anchors unable to keep from participating in the media feeding frenzy spewed out by President Trump (Sarah Sherman, Marcello Hernandez, Ego Nwodim, Chloe Fineman, and Andrew Dismukes), Chappelle took the main stage for a monologue that lasted 17 minutes, the longest ever on record at “SNL.” At a certain point, it seemed possible Chappelle had gone rogue and might use the entire allotted time just to perform stand up.
As far as the actual contents of that material and studio audience’s response — not to mention at-home viewers — Chappelle’s jokes were not only hit-or-miss, but ranged from highly offensive to downright inaudible (Chappelle is a known smoker, the habit now noticeably impacting his voice). The monologue also turned serious, from the wildfires in Southern California to the death of 39th President Jimmy Carter, as well as the upcoming re-inauguration of Donald Trump. While Chappelle did offer his sorrow for victims of the fire, despite claiming he was “tired of being controversial,” he also couldn’t help but poke fun at those suffering right now, casting particular ire on the LGBTQ community.
“If you were a rational, thinking person, you have to at least consider the possibility that God hates these people. Sodomites,” said Chappelle. “That’s not true because West Hollywood was unscathed. Because how can you burn what is already flaming?”
Many in studio cackled, but using a tragic natural disaster to elicit hate for a community that is already under attack every day felt sickening and besmirched the remainder of the show. Even after Chappelle memorialized Carter as “a great man” for wanting to end Palestinian suffering and went on to call for “empathy” for not only the people of the Palisades, but also the people of Palestine, it was hard to move past his inconsistent hateful rhetoric.
Thankfully, Chappelle wasn’t too present for the remainder of the episode, only taking part in two live sketches and one pre-taped bit that revived his pimp character from “The Chappelle Show,” Silky Johnson. Another sketch featuring Kenan Thompson, Devon Walker, Mikey Day, and Bowen Yang also seemed written for Chappelle, but did not include him. Executive producer Lorne Michaels may think Chappelle is a host viewers look forward to, but this latest display did not support that. As the show prepares to celebrate “SNL 50,” it might be time for someone new at the reins.
Watch Chappelle’s entire monologue below.
English (US) ·