For the third time as host of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” Dave Chappelle opened the program with a nearly 15-minute monologue about hip-hop musician Ye’s anti-Semitic statements, the midterm elections, and former President Donald Trump’s electoral appeal.
In a Netflix comedy special aired last year, the comedian, notorious for embracing controversy and defying his most vocal detractors, did not directly address the outrage over his statements regarding the transgender community.
Chappelle grabbed the stage inside Rockefeller Center’s Studio 8H and began his monologue with a lengthy riff on Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, who has been heavily chastised for a string of antisemitic remarks.
“I denounce antisemitism in all its forms and I stand with my friends in the Jewish community — and that, Kanye, is how you buy yourself some time,” the comedian read a brief statement
Chappelle also ridiculed Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving for tweeting a link to an anti-Semitic film. However, some of Chappelle’s comments appeared to be intended to shock and provoke.
“I’ve been to Hollywood, and this is just what I saw: It’s a lot of Jews, like a lot,” Chappelle said to laughter. “But that doesn’t mean anything; you know what I mean? There’s a lot of Black people in Ferguson, Missouri, but that doesn’t mean we run the place.”
On Twitter, viewers reacted differently to Chappelle’s words regarding antisemitism, with some criticizing him for appearing to dismiss Ye’s remarks or traffic in dangerous stereotypes.
The chairman of the Anti-Defamation League criticized Chappelle in a tweet on Sunday morning.
“We shouldn’t expect @DaveChappelle to serve as society’s moral compass, but disturbing to see @nbcsnl not just normalize but popularize #antisemitism,” Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted. “Why are Jewish sensitivities denied or diminished at almost every turn? Why does our trauma trigger applause?”
Chappelle later shifted his focus to other matters, such as the midterm elections.
He mocked Herschel Walker, Georgia’s scandal-plagued Republican Senate hopeful, who faces a December runoff against Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock.
“I don’t want to speak badly of him, because he’s Black,” Chapelle said, referring to Walker. “But I have to admit, he’s observably stupid.”
Chappelle explained why he thinks Trump is popular with folks in regions like Ohio, where he resides. He called the former president (and potential 2024 candidate) an “honest liar.”
“He was loved because people in Ohio have never seen anyone like him,” Chappelle said. “He’s an honest liar. He said, ‘I know the system is rigged because I use it.'”
Previously, Chappelle hosted “SNL” the weekend following the last two presidential elections.