During his monologue on Saturday Night Live over the weekend, Dave Chappelle, made fun of Kanye West.
To open the sketch show on Saturday night, according to Music News, the comedian opened up a piece of paper and read out a “short 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,” he stated, referring to the controversy surrounding a series of antisemitic comments the rapper made in October.
Dave went on to claim that over the course of his career he’s learned there are “two words in the English language that you should never say together in sequence: ‘The’ and ‘Jews.’
“I’ve never heard someone do good after they said that,” the 49-year-old insisted.
In addition, the stand-up star noted that while he usually supports Kanye, this time he decided to “see what happens first”.
“It’s a big deal, he had broken the show business rules. 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,” he continued. “I’ve been to Hollywood and – no one get mad at me – I’m just telling you what I saw. It’s a lot of Jews. Like a lot. But that doesn’t mean anything! You know what I mean? Because there are a lot of Black people in Ferguson, Missouri, it doesn’t mean we run the place.”
To conclude the 15-minute speech, Dave reiterated his views on cancel culture.
“It shouldn’t be this scary to talk about anything,” he concluded. “It’s making my job incredibly difficult. And to be honest with you, I’m sick of talking to a crowd like this. I love you to death and I thank you for your support.”
Despite applause from the studio audience, the monologue immediately caused a stir online.
In particular, Anti-Defamation League chief executive Jonathan Greenblatt criticised the content.
“We shouldn’t expect @DaveChappelle to serve as society’s moral compass, but disturbing to see @nbcsnl not just normalize but popularize #antisemitism,” he tweeted. “Why are Jewish sensitivities denied or diminished at almost every turn? Why does our trauma trigger applause?”
Dave is no stranger to controversy himself. Last year, he was the target of backlash after he made jokes about gay and transgender people during his Netflix special The Closer.
