Dave Chappelle stirred up debate with his latest Saturday Night Live monologue, delivering sharp jokes about Donald Trump, P Diddy, and the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. The 51-year-old comedian returned to the late-night sketch show just days before President-elect Trump’s inauguration, addressing a variety of topics in his signature controversial style.
Kicking off his speech, Chappelle touched on conspiracy theories surrounding the Los Angeles wildfires. He acknowledged that the topic was “too soon” for jokes, noting that the wildfires were the most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history, but quipped, “Because people in L.A. have nice stuff. I could burn 40,000 acres in Mississippi for like 6 to 700 dollars.”
The comedian then moved on to Donald Trump, urging him to “not forget your humanity” in light of his presidency. Chappelle said, “The presidency is no place for petty people” and addressed Trump directly, mentioning the coincidence of the L.A. wildfires occurring after he agreed to host SNL. He also urged Trump to show empathy for displaced people, whether they’re in the Palisades or Palestine.
Chappelle’s 17-minute monologue featured his thoughts on a range of issues, including Trump’s racist comments about Haitian immigrants. He joked about Trump’s speculation that Haitians were “eating the dogs, they’re eating the cats,” saying it made him “crazy.” He added, “They [Haitians] did jobs the whites weren’t doing. It’s not that the whites couldn’t do these jobs but they were doing other things: heroin, sleeping on the streets.”
The comedian also took a dig at P Diddy, who is currently facing sex-trafficking and racketeering charges. Chappelle admitted that he was never invited to one of Diddy’s infamous “freak-offs,” joking, “I thought about it for a minute, I said, ‘Oh my God, I’m ugly. That was a tough way to find that out.’” He continued, “Can you imagine if you were me, reading the newspaper and found out everyone in Hollywood had an orgy behind your back and nobody called me? Boy, that really hurts.”
Throughout the monologue, Chappelle expressed his weariness with being controversial, joking that the only reason he agreed to host SNL again was to revisit old Trump jokes. He also mentioned his desire to “turn over a new leaf,” though his set was full of biting commentary.
Despite the divisive content, the monologue underscored Chappelle’s fearless approach to comedy, tackling sensitive topics with his characteristic irreverence.