The four-time host took a break from punching all the way down to ship a well timed message.
Regardless of how a lot has modified over the previous decade, one factor stays true: Saturday Night time Dwell by no means brings in Dave Chappelle for a filler episode. The comic has now hosted the present 4 occasions in simply greater than eight years, every stint approaching the heels of a pivotal election. Final night time, within the SNL installment previous President-Elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration on Monday, Chappelle opened his monologue by detailing his makes an attempt to show down the daunting gig this time round. The SNL creator and government producer Lorne Michaels had apparently tried persuading Chappelle to once more take the stage following the 2024 presidential election; Chappelle spent the a number of weeks previous to and after Trump’s reelection rejecting the supply. He finally relented, he mentioned, in order that “I might simply eliminate all these outdated Trump jokes and begin contemporary.”
That lead-in recommended that Chappelle would possibly spend the remainder of his set revisiting acquainted comedic territory. However the place Chappelle has beforehand doubled down on his proper to offend, he as a substitute used the second to put the groundwork for sharp, wide-ranging commentary. “The second I mentioned sure, L.A. burst into flames,” he quipped, following up with the type of posturing that audiences have come to anticipate from him: He acknowledged that it’s too quickly to snort concerning the wildfires nonetheless ravaging Southern California, then threw the digital camera a mischievous wink. The veteran comedian is aware of the place the road is, he gave the impression to be saying, and revels in crossing it just because he can. In a marked distinction to his earlier SNL appearances, although—together with his one in 2022, for which he obtained criticism for perceived anti-Semitic remarks—the comic appeared mellower. And never solely did Chappelle reveal an curiosity in unity, however he additionally supplied viewers an surprising and sincere-sounding plea for compassion.
Chappelle wrapped his almost 20-minute act with a direct enchantment to the divided nation and its incoming president. He ended with a well timed anecdote about connecting with others amid deeply entrenched conflicts. Chappelle mentioned that within the mid-aughts, after strolling away from his eponymous hit present, he spent a while soul-searching within the Center East. The comic recalled that the late former President Jimmy Carter flew to Israel throughout that interval; Carter was there to advertise his 2006 guide, Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid. Chappelle described Carter’s insistence on then going “to the Palestinian territory” regardless of the Israeli authorities saying it might be too harmful. “I’ll always remember the pictures of a former American president strolling with little to no safety whereas 1000’s of Palestinians had been cheering him on, and once I noticed that image, it introduced tears to my eyes,” he mentioned.
He continued:
The presidency isn’t any place for petty individuals, so Donald Trump—I do know you watch the present—man, keep in mind, whether or not individuals voted for you or not, they’re all relying on you, whether or not they such as you or not. They’re all relying on you. The entire world is relying on you. And I imply this once I say this: Good luck. Please, do higher subsequent time. Please, all of us, do higher subsequent time. Don’t forget your humanity. And please, have empathy for displaced individuals, whether or not they’re within the Palisades or Palestine.
Final night time’s name to presidential motion was a stark departure from Chappelle’s earlier feedback about Trump in the course of the comedian’s SNL debut, in an awkward, unsettling episode following Hillary Clinton’s defeat in November 2016. Chappelle stole the present with a monologue (and a Chris Rock–assisted skit) that conveyed his lack of shock at Trump’s ascendancy. However Chappelle ended on a extra severe observe. He waxed poetic concerning the hopefulness he felt after seeing a sea of Black faces at a celebration held within the Obama White Home: “So, in that spirit, I’m wishing Donald Trump luck,” he mentioned. “And I’m going to offer him an opportunity, and we, the traditionally disenfranchised, demand that he give us one too.” A couple of months later, the comedian reportedly mentioned he regretted being “the primary man on TV to say, ‘Give Trump an opportunity.’”
Chappelle deployed his trademark barbed humor to additional considerate ends final night time—even when he wasn’t speaking about Trump. After working via a listing of well-known mates who misplaced their properties within the L.A. fires, the comedian mocked the replies he’d seen on movies of the blazes. “Everybody’s like, ‘Yeah, it serves these celebrities proper. I hope their homes burned down,’” he mentioned. “You see that? That proper there—that’s why I hate poor individuals.” Chappelle then took a drag from his cigarette, waited for the viewers to complete laughing, and acquired to the true punch line: “’Trigger they’ll’t see previous their very own ache.” The comedian went on to emphasise the nation’s obtrusive financial inequality whereas expressing concern for individuals outdoors his personal rich milieu. He spoke concerning the working-class households that came upon the week of the fires that their fire-insurance protection had been revoked; when he seemingly misspoke by saying “medical health insurance,” Chappelle recommended that Luigi Mangione, the alleged killer of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, might assist both approach. It was a grim joke, one which telegraphed his understanding that many People really feel exploited by each industries—and reminded viewers that he can nonetheless deliver individuals’s experiences into his comedy.
After all, Chappelle was nonetheless himself, throwing in a handful of musings about how scary it’s to be well-known proper now and making a cringe-worthy comparability between West Hollywood and Sodom. A later sketch additionally noticed him revisiting a few of Chappelle’s Present’s most memorable (and outrageous) characters. However the stand-up by no means took the lazy, condescending tack that’s made him divisive amongst critics lately. (Dave Chappelle: The Dreamer, which premiered on Netflix final month, kicks off with a prolonged phase that rehashes his stalest materials.) Chappelle as a substitute drew on his experiences of residing within the Midwest—one thing he additionally did, to driving impact, when he hosted SNL after the 2020 presidential election. From this private angle, he sought to elucidate the similarities between demographics that look wildly completely different at first look. It didn’t all the time work completely, then or now, nevertheless it felt refreshingly human.