The first day Saturday night live episode after each of the past two presidential elections, Dave Chappelle acts as the host and takes the opportunity to Share your thoughts about American political situation. The comedian is back for a third time this week from midterms, but this time there’s something different.
This is Chappelle’s first time hosting SNL since he was shot for a a bunch of transphobic jokes in his latest Netflix special Closer. And before he even took the stage at Studio 8H for his monologue, there was a palpable anger on social media and threatened boycott from the show’s writers, especially given that this season SNL has the first non-binary member in Molly Kearney.
But while he made the point of avoiding the subject of yes seems to have consumed him over the past few years, Chappelle may have dug himself an even deeper hole by—deliberately—defending the nature of Kanye West’s anti-Semitic rhetoric through comedy.
The comedian entered the room and began by reading a brief statement: “I denounce anti-Semitism in all its forms and I stand with my friends in the Jewish community. And that, Kanye, is how you buy yourself some time. “
Chappelle went on to explain that over his 35-plus years of career, he’s learned that there are “two words in English that you never say together in sequence: ‘The’ and ‘Jews'”. And he made some strong jokes about West’s “third death” tweet and the ramifications he faces from Adidas and others because of his words.
“It was a big deal, he broke the show’s business rules,” Chappelle said. “You know, the laws of perception. If they’re black, it’s a gang. If they’re Italian, it’s a crowd. If they’re Jewish, it’s a coincidence and you should never talk about it.”
After noting that “Kanye was in so much trouble that Kyrie [Irving] in trouble,” Chappelle said, “This is where I draw boundaries. I know Jews have been through terrible things around the world, but you can’t blame that on black Americans.” That statement was met with silence except for a single shout from the audience. “Thank you, who said ‘woo.’”
“I’ve been to Hollywood and – no one’s mad at me – I’m just telling you what I’ve seen,” he added, pausing for effect. “There are a lot of Jews. Liked very much. But that doesn’t mean anything! Do you understand what I mean? Because there are so many Blacks in Ferguson, Missouri, that doesn’t mean we run this place.” He said “the illusion that Jews are in the show business” is “not crazy to think about,” but “it’s crazy to say it out loud.”
There’s much more to Chappelle’s monologue, which spans over 15 minutes and also includes Herschel Walker (“observable stupid”) and what some call “the end of the Trump era.” .
But it was the decision to promote the kind of anti-Semitic conspiracy that got the West into trouble, which, though through jokes, stood out and will continue to resonate.
He concluded, “Talking about anything isn’t that scary. “That makes my job extremely difficult. And to be honest with you, I’m sick of talking to a crowd like this. I love you to death and I thank you for your support. And I hope they don’t take anything from me… whoever they are.”
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