The January 18 episode of “Saturday Night Live” was a reminder that the quality of the show and its humor is not always dictated by writers or regular actors, but often by what the host is willing to bring until the evening. And what was worth Dave Chappelle provide for his fourth round title Studio 8H? Not much beyond his own vanity.
After a cold opening that saw MSNBC anchors unable to refrain from participating in the media-feeding frenzy spewed 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 “SNL.” At one point, it seemed possible that Chappelle had gone rogue and could use the entire allotted time to just stand up.
In terms of the actual content of that material and the response of the studio audience — not to mention 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 affecting his voice). The monologue also became serious, from it wildfires in Southern California to the death of 39th President Jimmy Carter, as well as the upcoming re-inauguration of Donald Trump. While Chappelle offered his condolences to the victims of the fire, despite claiming he was “tired of being controversial,” he also couldn’t help but poke fun at those who are suffering right now, which particularly angered the LGBTQ community.
“If you were a rational, thinking person, you have to at least consider the possibility that God hates these people. Sodomites,” Chappelle said. “It’s not true because West Hollywood was unscathed. Because how can you burn what is already burning?”
Many in the studio cackled, but using a tragic natural disaster to incite hatred for a community already under attack every day felt sickening and tainted the rest of the show. Even after Chappelle remembered Carter as “a great man” for wanting to end Palestinian suffering and went on to call for “empathy” for not just the people in the stockades, but the people of Palestine, it was hard to get past his inconsistent hateful rhetoric.
Thankfully, Chappelle wasn’t overly present for the rest of the episode, participating only in two live sketches and a bandaged bit reviving his pimp character from “The Chappelle Show,” Silky Johnson. Another sketch featuring Kenan Thompson, Devon Walker, Mikey Day and Bowen Yang also appeared written for Chappelle, but did not include him. Executive producer Lorne Michaels may think Chappelle is a host viewers look forward to, but the latest showing didn’t back that up. As the show prepares to celebrate “SNL 50,” it may be time for someone new at the reins.
Watch Chappelle’s full monologue below.
