The Jan. 18 episode of “Saturday Night Live” served as a reminder that the quality of the series and its humor are not always dictated by the writers or regular cast members, but often by what the host is willing to bring to the table. evening. And what did host Dave Chappelle provide for his fourth turn headlining Studio 8H? Not much beyond his own vanity.
After a cold open that saw MSNBC anchors unable to resist participating in the media 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 recorded on “SNL.” At one point, it seemed possible that Chappelle had gone rogue and could use all of the allotted time just to get up.
As for the actual content of this material and the response from the studio audience – not to mention viewers at home – Chappelle’s jokes were not only random, but ranged from highly offensive to downright inaudible (Chappelle is a stoner known, the habit now significantly impacting his voice). The monologue also got serious, from the Southern California wildfires to the death of 39th President Jimmy Carter to the upcoming reinauguration of Donald Trump. Although Chappelle expressed grief for the fire victims, despite saying he was “tired of being controversial,” he also couldn’t help but mock those who are suffering right now, casting particular ire on the LGBTQ community.
“If you are a rational, thoughtful person, you should at least consider the possibility that God hates these people. Sodomites,” Chappelle said. “That’s not true because West Hollywood was unscathed. Because how can you burn what is already on fire?
Many in the studio sneered, but using a tragic natural disaster to incite hatred towards a community already under attack every day seemed sickening and sullied the rest of the series. Even after Chappelle called Carter a “great man” for wanting to end the suffering of the Palestinians and then called for “empathy” not only for the people of the Palisades, but also for the people of Palestine, it was difficult to overcome his incoherent remarks. hateful rhetoric.
Fortunately, Chappelle wasn’t around too much for the rest of the episode, participating in only two live sketches and a pre-recorded bit that brought to life 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 show doesn’t support that. As the show prepares to celebrate “SNL 50,” it may be time for someone new to take the reins.
Watch Chappelle’s full monologue below.
