Before they had any clue what he would say, the writers at Saturday Night Live were ready to storm the castle, because Dave Chappelle, black comedian though he may be, was in the evil category because he continued to make jokes after the new taboos went into effect.
He last hosted the sketch comedy show in 2020, well before Netflix released his 2021 special “The Closer.” It angered some viewers because many of Chappelle’s jokes were aimed at the trans community. For example, he intentionally misgendered a trans friend and fellow comedian for laughs.
For “laughs” sounds pretty much like the job description of comedian, but since trans folx are higher on the victim hierarchy than black men, he broke the rules.
After the announcement, “SNL” writer Celeste Yim reportedly wrote on Instagram Stories: “I’m trans and non-binary. I use they/them pronouns. Transphobia is murder and it should be condemned.”
It’s neither phobia nor murder (which used to be violence but got upgraded). It may be offensive, but that’s also part of the job description of comedians, who have long used their craft for social commentary about the excesses and extremes of pop culture, among other things.
And yet, the show went on.
As it turned out, it wasn’t Saturday Night misgendering trans comedians, but Chappelle doing a bit about Kanye and Jews. Unsurprisingly after what happened to Kanye (and Kyrie), it didn’t go over well with many,
The comedian entered the room and began by reading a brief statement: “I denounce antisemitism in all its forms and I stand with my friends in the Jewish community. And that, Kanye, is how you buy yourself some time.”
And then he took flight.
Chappelle went on to explain that over his 35-year career, he has come to learn that there are “two words in the English language that you should never say together in sequence: ‘The’ and ‘Jews.’” And he had some strong jokes about West’s “death con 3” tweet and the ramifications he faced from Adidas and others for his words.
“It’s a big deal, he had broken the show business rules,” Chappelle said. “You know, the rules of perception. If they’re Black, then it’s a gang. If they’re Italian, it’s a mob. If they’re Jewish, it’s a coincidence and you should never speak about it.”
Was Chappelle doubling down on Kanye’s antisemitism? That’s certainly the way many took his monologue. I did not. I saw Lenny Bruce on stage telling the audience that he rejected the idea that there are taboos, rules, lines he was not allowed to cross. Chappelle, fully aware of what happened to Kanye, said “the Jews” anyway to say that he could, that he would not be stopped from talking about anything and everything, and anyone, The Jews were no more immune from jokes, from commentary, from discussion than trans people or, for that matter, black people.
There are a lot of people telling others what they can and cannot say. They tried to tell Chappelle what he can and cannot say. Chappelle used this opportunity to tell them, yet again, that he would say any damn thing he pleased
I didn’t find his jokes antisemitic. I thought they were pretty funny, and there are “like a lot of Jews in Hollywood.” Hey, we did damn good with the movies and while we may not like to admit that Weinstein was part of the tribe, the fact is that he was. So what? And unlike many others, I can laugh at my people and myself. I even like lawyer jokes, but I digress.
If Lenny Bruce was alive today, he would be hated. Reviled. Despised for his message, because he wouldn’t be told what he could not say. In a way, he is alive today, and his name is Dave Chappelle. And I thank him as someone has to tell the scolds that he will not abide their rules of what can and cannot be said.
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