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‘SNL’ host Dave Chappelle weighs in on L.A. wildfires, Palestine and Trump

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Previously, the performances of comedian Dave Chappelle during his stint as “Saturday Night Live” host were highly anticipated, with his appearance following Donald Trump’s presidential win in 2016 being particularly noteworthy.

As a film enthusiast, I must admit, it’s been challenging to approach Dave Chappelle’s latest performance without considering the controversy that has tarnished his reputation in recent years, particularly his jokes about transgender communities. This shadow looms large over his legacy, especially as he moves further away from the legendary sketch comedy series “Chappelle Show.”

In this fourth appearance, it was less about the performance itself and more about the content, which I’ll delve into shortly. Chappelle delivered a lengthy monologue, and he appeared in only three sketches. One of these sketches saw the brief return of Silky Johnson, his iconic pimp character, which he first brought to life on his self-titled Comedy Central show.

As a movie buff, I couldn’t help but notice that segment was an amusing spoof of internet dating shows, specifically “Pop the Balloon or Find Love.” The show had a fun twist with musical guest GloRilla gracing the stage and Donnell Rawlings, often collaborating with Chappelle, playing his characters Beautiful and Ashy Larry.

Television

The long-running comedy series is commemorating its 50th season by releasing two documentaries and a future prime-time event that look back at its status as a cultural pillar in America.

In another episode titled “Immigrant Dad Talk” with Marcello Hernández, Dave Chappelle also appeared, and they performed a sketch centered around the Los Angeles wildfires. Here, he portrays a father who shares hidden truths as his family readies to flee. However, in a different sketch about a man (Devon Walker) explaining his missing girlfriend to the police, Dave Chappelle was not involved at all.

It’s plausible that a variety of factors might have contributed to the scarcity of sketches and characters in the episode for Chappelle, but the primary suspect seems to be the extensive length of the monologue.

During the show, musical act GloRilla played “Yeah Glo!” as well as a mix that featured “Wanna Be” and “Let Her Cook.” After “Weekend Update,” a title card appeared to support the SoCal Fire Fund. At the end of the program, there was a tribute for filmmaker David Lynch, who sadly passed away this week.

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Initially, the program began with a discussion panel on MSNBC moderated by Rachel Maddow (played by Sarah Sherman). Ari Melber (portrayed by Marcello Hernández) referenced lyrics from hip-hop artists such as DMX, while Chris Hayes (depicted by Andrew Dismukes) was frequently mistaken for Maddow. The conversation was often interrupted by updates about the president-elect Trump, a promise that such interruptions would not occur during his upcoming term. Some of these updates involved Trump proposing to swap Connecticut for Italy, flooding Los Angeles with water balloons from “Up” to combat fires, and sending Donald Trump Jr. to explore purchasing Emerald City after watching “Wicked.” James Austin Johnson reappeared for a short stint as Trump, praising TikTok and Mark Zuckerberg’s hairstyle. The unexpected twist was George Santos (played by Bowen Yang) making an entrance as the new fact-checking secretary and ambassador to Sephora, who was late for a date with his boyfriend Luigi Magione.

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Fans of Chappelle’s stand-up comedy, eager for current topics, found a rich spread in his monologue. Clocking in at close to 17 minutes, it might have been one of the longest sets ever on the show. Previous monologues of his as host were almost equally long. Chappelle, sitting on a stool and puffing on a cigarette, admitted that he declined hosting the first show post-November election (it was Bill Burr who stepped in). He then offered to host again in January, around the anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection, to use up Trump-related material. “The instant I agreed,” Chappelle quipped, “L.A. caught fire.” He added, “I’m fed up with being controversial. I’m aiming for a fresh start. It’s far too soon to make light of a disaster like that,” he said, giving a knowing wink to the audience.

As a passionate cinephile, I’d rephrase it like this:

In his stand-up routine, Dave Chappelle played with satire, poking fun at an unusual angle – the perceived lack of empathy from some less fortunate individuals towards celebrities who lost homes in the fires. He even jested that certain areas of Los Angeles were spared divine wrath because they were already burning intensely, using a witty line about West Hollywood being unscathed.

The comedian then took a detour, delving into dated jokes regarding Donald Trump’s remarks on Haitians during the election cycle and slightly less recent jokes about Sean “Puffy” Combs and baby oil. A humorous quip from Chappelle was his comment on Trump’s house potentially causing a mushroom cloud if it had caught fire during that time.

Towards the end of his monologue, Chappelle spoke more solemnly, expressing admiration for Jimmy Carter’s book about Palestine and his trips to the area. Directly addressing Trump, he said, “The White House isn’t a place for small-minded individuals… whether people supported you or not, they’re all relying on you. Good luck, I hope you improve next time.” He expressed understanding and compassion for everyone, from Palestine to the Palisades.

Best sketch of the night: Don’t forget the cell phone inside the dog

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In a hurriedly drawn scene that seemed precarious at times, Chappelle portrayed a frenzied father gathering an emergency kit of essentials for his family as they fled the L.A. wildfires. During this process, he unveiled half a million dollars in cash, a covert French family concealed within the house’s walls, and a mobile phone that had to be painstakingly extracted from their pet dog, causing blood to spatter everywhere. This sketch wasn’t an absolute classic, but it was certainly the most memorable one among the limited offerings this week.

‘Weekend Update’ winner: Why vampires typically don’t have great abs

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Michael Longfellow voiced his thoughts on the unexpected shutdown of TikTok in the U.S., while Sarah Sherman’s hilarious portrayal of The Original Nosferatu stole the show during “Update”. Dressed as a full vampire with elongated fingers, Sherman playfully mocked Colin Jost (comparing his private parts to a strange, white, pointy object), and made comments about Bill Skarsgård, the lead actor in the new movie adaptation. Referencing his muscular physique and mustache, Original Nosferatu quipped, “He resembles Shirtless Ned Flanders!” The skit culminated with a dramatic black-and-white transition on punchlines, but the most laugh-out-loud moment was Sherman-as-Nosferatu showing how vampires can only do one push up daily: when they rise from their coffins.

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2025-01-19 11:31

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