Dave Chappelle’s SNL Monologue Is Going Viral And People Are Furious
Dave Chappelle's 15-minute long monologue on SNL is causing people to have very strong opinions on Twitter.
This article is more than 2 years old
Controversial, mega-successful comedian Dave Chappelle hosted Saturday Night Live last night, and as one might expect, it is bringing out some strong feelings in people online. As is traditional with the long-running NBC sketch show, SNL began with a cold open bit, then segued into the host’s monologue. Given that SNL had booked Dave Chappelle, one of the most accomplished stand-up comedians in the world, he was given an extra-long monologue in which he commented on anti-Semitism, former President Donald Trump, and Georgia Senatorial candidate Herschel Walker and people took to Twitter to express both anger and support.
Dave Chappelle’s Saturday Night Live monologue opened with the comedian pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket and (purportedly) reading a deadpan statement of support for the Jewish people and denouncing anti-Semitism. He quickly followed this up by joking that this was all Kanye West needed to do. This was in reference to the musician and fashion designer’s recent allegedly anti-Semitic statements (via interviews and social media) which have caused him to lose endorsements and partnerships with companies like Adidas (which, as Dave Chappelle pointed out, was founded by a pair of brothers who had been members of the Nazi Party).
As one might expect, the comedic dissection of anti-Semitism in culture (particularly as it pertains to Black culture in the United States) struck a nerve with many people. Dave Chappelle’s monologue immediately went viral, with the official Saturday Night Live post on YouTube racking up over 757,000 views in less than 12 hours. As can be expected, many, many (many!) people immediately flocked to Twitter to express either support of Dave Chappelle or condemn his remarks.
In general, the reaction to Dave Chappelle’s Saturday Night Live monologue falls into several camps: those who feel that the comedian is further promoting anti-Semitic tropes in the guise of joking about them and those who feel that he is satirizing anti-Semitism via comedy. There is also a large contingent of Twitter users whose immediate reaction is that they expect Dave Chappelle to be “canceled” over this and labeling him the GOAT of comedy. In a way, this seems to be something of preemptive backlash to a backlash, with the assumption by some that others would be offended and so are offended by their sense of offense and round and round we go.
In all likelihood, Dave Chappelle will not be “canceled” over his most recent Saturday Night Live monologue (and it can be debated whether anyone ever actually is “canceled). The standup comedian is as beloved as he is controversial and seems to have the unwavering support of Netflix for any kind of special or release that he wants to release. Additionally, Dave Chappelle is also famously, enormously wealthy, so he pretty much can continue to do as he pleases.
However, if there is one thing that Dave Chappelle is a master at, it is creating a hotbed of discussion online. As one can see from even a moment on Twitter, he has done it yet again.
