Dave Chappelle returned to host “Saturday Night Live” this weekend, delivering a monologue that touched on the recent Los Angeles wildfires and made a sincere plea for compassion as the country prepares for President Donald Trump’s second inauguration. Chappelle recounted how he initially declined the offer to host, telling “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels, “I’m cool. Things are going good.
I finished my Netflix deal. I got all this money and stuff.” But Michaels persisted, and Chappelle eventually agreed, joking that he wanted the date closest to January 6th. During his monologue, Chappelle addressed the gravity of the wildfires, saying, “It is way too soon to do jokes about a catastrophe like that.” He discussed how the fires had impacted his friends and colleagues in the entertainment industry.
Chappelle expressed disdain for callous online comments wishing celebrities’ houses would burn down. “You see that? That right there?
That’s why I hate poor people. Because they can’t see past their own pain,” he remarked. The comedian described the wildfires as “the most expensive natural disaster that’s ever happened in United States history,” attributing some of the high costs to the valuable properties in Los Angeles.
Chappelle’s plea for unity on ‘SNL’
In a marked contrast to his earlier appearances, Chappelle seemed mellower and demonstrated an interest in unity. He offered viewers an unexpected and sincere plea for compassion.
Chappelle wrapped his nearly 20-minute act with a direct appeal to the divided country and its incoming president. He ended with an anecdote about connecting with others amid deeply entrenched conflicts, recounting a story about former President Jimmy Carter visiting Palestine despite warnings from the Israeli government. “The presidency is no place for petty people, so Donald Trump—I know you watch the show—man, remember, whether people voted for you or not, they’re all counting on you.
The whole world is counting on you,” Chappelle said. “And I mean this when I say this: Good luck. Please, do better next time.
Please, all of us, do better next time. Do not forget your humanity. And please, have empathy for displaced people, whether they’re in the Palisades or Palestine.”
Chappelle’s call to presidential action was a departure from his comments about Trump following the 2016 election, where he expressed a lack of surprise at Trump’s victory but ended on a hopeful note, wishing him luck and demanding that Trump give the historically disenfranchised a chance.
Throughout the monologue, Chappelle deployed his trademark barbed humor to thoughtful ends, emphasizing the country’s economic inequality and expressing concern for people outside his wealthy milieu. He shared musings about the challenges of being famous and sought to elucidate similarities between demographics that appear different at first glance.