At one time, comic Dave Chappelle’s appearances as host on “Saturday Night Live” have been occasions to be celebrated, most memorably when he hosted the primary “SNL” after Donald Trump’s election to the presidency in 2016.
Lately, there’s been extra cause to be cautious, because the comedian’s jokes about transgender communities have tarnished his legacy and as he will get additional and additional in years from his legendary sketch comedy sequence “Chappelle Show.” For this fourth look, there wasn’t a lot performance-wise to evaluate or critique. The comic did a prolonged monologue (extra on that under) and appeared in solely three sketches, one in every of which included the transient return of Silky Johnson, his pimp character, which he originated on his eponymous Comedy Central present.
That look, a part of a parody of the web courting present “Pop the Balloon or Find Love,” additionally featured musical visitor GloRilla and frequent Chappelle collaborator Donnell Rawlings as his characters Stunning and Ashy Larry.
Chappelle additionally appeared in one other version of “Immigrant Dad Talk” with Marcello Hernández, and a sketch themed to the Los Angeles wildfires the place he performs a father revealing secrets and techniques as his household prepares to evacuate. One other sketch, a few man (Devon Walker) describing his lacking girlfriend to police, didn’t function Chappelle in any respect.
There may very well be a lot of the explanation why the episode ended up so gentle on sketches and characters for Chappelle, however the most certainly wrongdoer was the size of the monologue.
Musical visitor GloRilla carried out “Yeah Glo!” and a medley that included “Wanna Be” and “Let Her Cook.” A title card after “Weekend Update” promoted the SoCal Hearth Fund and one on the finish of the present honored filmmaker David Lynch, who died this week.
For followers of Chappelle’s stand-up who have been hoping for topical materials, the monologue was a giant buffet. At practically 17 minutes, the set might have been one of many longest within the present’s historical past. (Two of his earlier monologues as host have been practically as prolonged.) Chappelle sat on a stool whereas smoking a cigarette and defined that he begged off from internet hosting the primary present after the November election (that honor went to Invoice Burr). Then, he mentioned, he supplied to host in January, near the anniversary of the Jan. 6 revolt to eliminate Trump materials. “The moment I said yes, L.A. burst into flames,” Chappelle mentioned. “I’m tired of being controversial. I’m trying to turn over a new leaf. It is way too soon to be doing jokes about a catastrophe like that.” Then he winked to the viewers.
The jokes have been a mixture of satire, with Chappelle mocking poor folks for not sympathizing with celebrities who misplaced houses within the fires and joking that God didn’t strike down components of Los Angeles as a consequence of sin. “That’s not true because West Hollywood was unscathed. Because how can you burn what is already flaming?” The comic shifted to dated jokes about Trump’s feedback on Haitians in Ohio in the course of the election cycle and barely less-dated jokes about Sean “Puffy” Combs and child oil. “Thank God they caught him before the fires … there would have been a mushroom cloud over his house,” Chappelle mentioned.
Chappelle ended the monologue extra critically, praising Jimmy Carter for his guide about Palestine and his visits to the area. He addressed Trump immediately: “The presidency is no place for petty people… whether people voted for you or not, they’re all counting on you. Good luck. Please do better next time.” He requested for empathy for everybody “from Palestine to the Palisades.”
Finest sketch of the evening: Don’t neglect the mobile phone contained in the canine 
In a frantic sketch that always felt prefer it was about to go off the rails, Chappelle performed a panicked father getting ready a go-bag of issues that his household would want as they have been evacuating from the L.A. wildfires. Alongside the best way, he reveals $500,000 in money, a secret French household hiding within the partitions, and a mobile phone that he has to surgically take away from the household canine as blood sprays in all places. Is it an all-timer sketch? No, however it was the one which stood out from the slim pickings this week.
‘Weekend Update’ winner: Why vampires sometimes don’t have nice abs 
