Dave Chappelle recently performed stand-up comedy shows in San Francisco. During his sets, he revealed that when he hosted Saturday Night Live in January, the show’s producers forbid him from discussing certain topics in his opening monologue. According to Chappelle, SNL would not allow him to talk about the situation in Gaza or transgender issues.
SF Gate culture editor Dan Gentile, who attended one of Chappelle’s San Francisco shows, described this as a “shocking stroke of censorship, given the political nature of the monologue.”
Despite these restrictions, Chappelle did briefly mention Gaza at the end of his San Francisco set. He closed by saying “Give the Jews a break, free Palestine” before dropping the microphone. Chappelle’s SNL monologue in January covered a range of subjects.
He discussed the wildfires in Los Angeles, saying “I’m tired of being controversial.
Chappelle’s censored SNL topics
I’m trying to turn over a new leaf.
It is way too soon to try to joke about a catastrophe like that…This one hits close to home.”
The comedian also spoke about former President Jimmy Carter’s visit to Palestine. Chappelle said seeing images of Carter walking with little security while cheered by thousands of Palestinians brought him to tears. Additionally, Chappelle made an appeal to Donald Trump as part of his monologue.
“Please do better next time,” he urged the former president. Chappelle asked the audience to “not forget your humanity and please have empathy for displaced people whether they’re in the Palisades or Palestine.”
NBCUniversal, which produces Saturday Night Live, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Chappelle’s claim of censorship. The comedian has faced criticism in recent years over his material about transgender people.
His San Francisco sets also reportedly mentioned other celebrities like Kanye West.