This weekend, Saturday Night Live will celebrate its 50th anniversary—a massive milestone in entertainment—with a star-studded special event featuring appearances by everyone from SNL legends like Amy Poehler, Eddie Murphy, and Maya Rudolph, to A-listers like Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, and Paul McCartney. And, unfortunately, Dave Chappelle too.
As a fan of SNL who watches Bowen Yang’s Titanic segment when I need a pick-me-up, I simply must ask: Why? For better or worse, SNL has shaped pop culture and the face of comedy for half a century. The show has helped launch the careers of countless stars—Will Ferrell, Seth Meyers, Adam Sandler, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Maya Rudolph, etc. In the streaming era, SNL has remained one of the rare appointment viewings on broadcast. And it’s become an integral part of how Americans digest presidential politics, defining how politicians like Sarah Palin are remembered—Donald Trump even hosted the show mid-presidential campaign in 2015, a move that very well might have helped get him elected. SNL clearly has the power to normalize hateful views, so why continue to give Dave Chappelle a platform?
On February 11, a new Vulture article revealed that Dave’s 2022 monologue initially included a joke seemingly aimed at a writer who disapproved of his hosting gig. According to the article, a writer requested not to work with him at the time, and Lorne reportedly agreed. However, after the story was picked up by Page Six, which claimed that multiple writers had threatened to boycott, Dave decided to address it in the monologue performed at dress with another transphobic joke that was seemingly directed at a member of the staff.
Per the article, Lorne didn’t outright oppose the joke, but cautioned Dave that he would "lose the staff" if he repeated it on air. Translation: he didn’t care so much that Dave Chappelle—a guest host he invited—had singled out a member of his own staff, he worried about dealing with a (rightfully) angry staff. I admit, I’ve never had to babysit a temperamental comedian before, and maybe this Jedi mind trick was the only way to get Dave to drop the joke. But I cannot imagine this kind of "hands off" approach to dealing with a targeted attack on your staff is good management. (The monologue he did end up giving didn’t include that joke, but it did feature a section wildly panned as anti-Semitic, and it does not appear on SNL’s YouTube page or on Peacock.)
So why did Lorne invite him back in January? I can personally think of so many other comedians who would bring similar ratings and say more! And why choose to give him a coveted slot at the SNL50 celebration? As far as I know, the comedian doesn’t have a particularly storied history with SNL—he was never a cast member or writer. He’s only hosted the show four times, and just one of those times was before reports of his transphobic "comedy" began circulating in 2017.
For whatever reason (ratings? ego?), Lorne is attracted to defending controversial (male) comedians by giving them a platform in prime time. It’s not just Dave Chappelle. Shane Gillis was famously fired from SNL in 2019 before he even started as a cast member after clips from his comedy podcast, Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast, making racist "jokes" went viral. (Shane initially issued a non-apology and has since said he stands by his podcast.) At the time, Lorne seemed fine with Shane’s dismissal, but late last year he revealed that he was actually "angry" at NBC’s decision, and although I’m sure the ratings of Dave and Shane can make some business sense, I, as an SNL watcher, am going to boycott such an episode.
Whose voices the media chooses to amplify matters now more than ever. At his second inauguration—just days before Dave inexplicably hosted SNL for the fourth time—Donald Trump declared that the government would recognize “only two genders.” Since then, his administration has pushed anti-trans executive orders, including one which attempts to ban gender-affirming care to trans youth under the age of 19, leaving hospitals in blue states at a loss and patients without care. Now is not the time to give a transphobic comedian air time. In fact, I would argue there is no time to do so.
Dave might be funny. He may have inspired comedians and SNL with his groundbreaking Chappelle’s Show. But he’s also a bully that threatens the wellbeing of trans people. And no amount of talent is worth endangering the lives of the LGBT community—or any minority community.
