Controversial comedian Dave Chappelle tiptoed on a tightrope in his “Saturday Night Live” monologue as he challenged antisemitic attacks by Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), some stereotypes and censorship.
And everyone kept laughing — uproariously.
It was Chappelle’s first time hosting the sketch show since he sparked major controversy for transphobic jokes in his latest Netflix special, “The Closer.” Some furious “Saturday Night Live” writers reportedly considered boycotting the program.
Chappelle didn’t address the transphobic jokes, but did take on other serious issues.
“I denounce antisemitism in all its forms, and I stand with my friends in the Jewish community,” Chappelle said at the start of his monologue. Then he added: “And that, Kanye, is how you buy yourself some time.”
Chappelle explained that he almost always is ready to “pull up immediately” for Ye when he gets himself into scrapes. But after the rapper said he was going “death con 3” on Jews in an alarming tweet last month, Chappelle said he decided: “You know what? Let me see what happens first.”
The most maddening, he said, was that Ye tweeted the comment, then went to bed. “I was up all night worried: What is he going to do to the Jews?” said Chappelle.
“I don’t think Kanye is crazy at all. I think he’s possibly not well,” Chappelle said.
He added: “I know the Jewish people have been through terrible things all over the world, but you can’t blame that on Black Americans. You just can’t.”
He pointedly noted that there are a lot of Jews in Hollywood, adding: “Like, a lot.” But “that don’t mean anything,” Chappelle added. “There’s a lot of Black people in Ferguson, Missouri. Doesn’t mean we run the place.”
As for the recent midterms, Chappelle called Black Georgia GOP Senate candidate Herschel Walker (who faces a runoff election against Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock on Dec. 6) “observably stupid,” adding that he has to think about tic-tac-toe moves. Chappelle also called Walker the “most ominous sign” of the midterms.
Chappelle is convinced he gets why former President Donald Trump is so popular — because he’s an “honest liar.” Trump talks about how the wealthy like him can take advantage of most Americans — then he does it again and again.
White people are like “newborn babies, just woke up,” he continued.
Finally, in an apparent reference to the controversy about his “SNL” appearance — and his Netflix program — Chappelle said he no longer enjoys performing in front of large crowds.
“It shouldn’t be this scary to talk about anything,” he said. “It makes my job incredibly difficult. I love you to death, and I thank you for your support.”
Check out the full monologue below:
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