The comedian’s ‘SNL’ monologue comments about the Jewish community were criticised by the Anti-Defamation League.
After a week of intense buildup, full of alleged writer boycotts and social media anger, Dave Chappelle hosted Saturday Night Live on Saturday and it went as expected.
The comedian delivered a monologue that showcased his masterful audience control, while his jokes were a mixture of incisive commentary and provocative statements.
The monologue’s sections on the Jewish community, however, drew the anger of the Anti-Defamation League chief executive officer Jonathan Greenblatt, who tweeted his critique of Chappelle following the episode.
“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 (see below). “Why are Jewish sensitivities denied or diminished at almost every turn? Why does our trauma trigger applause?”
Chappelle’s monologue jokes about the Jewish community could easily be perceived as inflammatory, but does such a comedian deserve to be censored as a result? Jon Stewart, renowned political commentator and rather famous Jewish celebrity, doesn’t think so.
Stewart fiercely defended Dave Chappelle while on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, although he did admit that he was “good friends” with the comedian.
Read the article by Conor Lochrie on The Brag.