Why Are Some ‘Saturday Night Live’ Writers Reportedly Boycotting Dave Chappelle’s Hosting Gig?
Dave Chappelle is hosting Saturday Night Live for the third time on Nov. 12. However, his appearance is reportedly causing controversy in the show’s writers’ room. Several members of the show’s writing staff are said to be boycotting the episode. Their absence comes on the heels of Chappelle’s controversial 2021 Netflix comedy special The Closer, where he made comments about the transgender community, which raised some eyebrows.
Dave Chappelle hosted ‘Saturday Night Live’ twice prior
Chappelle hosted Saturday Night Live twice. Both episodes aired ahead of the 2016 and 2020 Presidential Elections. The first time, he hosted with musical guest A Tribe Called Quest. In 2020, Chappelle starred alongside Foo Fighters.
Chappelle received his first Emmy Award in 2017 for his guest appearance on Saturday Night Live. That year, he was part of a sketch that showed friends watching the 2016 election results between then-presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
The group watched the results roll in together, starting confidently but soon becoming annoyed. Chappelle’s character and Chris Rock both saw Trump’s win coming.
During a monologue for his last SNL hosting gig, Chappelle discussed several topics, including coronavirus, Donald Trump’s presidency, and political division in the United States. He also addressed other political news of the day and how they related to politics of the recent past.
Some ‘Saturday Night Live’ writers reportedly boycotting Dave Chappelle’s gig due to remarks made in his Netflix stand-up ‘The Closer’
Page Six reported this is the first time Chappelle is taking the SNL stage since backlash surrounding his Netflix special, The Closer, erupted. However, his remarks remain a hot-button issue for some of the show’s writers. The news outlet claims some reportedly boycotted the episode.
“They’re not going to do the show,” Page Six reported. “But none of the actors are boycotting.” However, Page Six also noted that the comedian met with writers and producers on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
His rep told the outlet, “There was no evidence of a boycott. The room was full of writers. They all pitched ideas, and they seemed very excited about it. Dave is looking to have some fun.”
‘The Closer’ was the comedian’s sixth and final stand-up special for Netflix
Chappelle signed a deal with Netflix beginning in 2016 to produce comedy specials for the streaming service for a reported $20 million each. In 2017 Chappelle released four stand-up episodes on the platform titled Equanimity, The Bird Revelation, The Age Of Spin, and Deep In The Heart Of Texas. In 2019 he released Sticks and Stones, reported Forbes.
In Sticks and Stones, Chappelle made several jokes about the transgender community. However, according to Vulture, the special was Netflix’s most popular stand-up episode. Chappelle continued to joke about the trans community in 2021’s The Closer, causing a backlash against the comedian and the streaming service.
“The more you say I can’t say something, the more urgent it is for me to say it,” Chappelle says in What’s In A Name, a 40-minute speech Chappelle gave for a theater-naming ceremony at his alma mater, Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC. The speech came on the heels of the firestorm surrounding The Closer‘s commentary.
Insider published an excerpt from What’s In A Name where Chappelle said, “It has nothing to do with what you’re saying I can’t say. It has everything to do with my right, my freedom of artistic expression. That is valuable to me.”
Dave Chappelle’s episode of Saturday Night Live airs on Nov. 12 at 11:35 p.m. EST on NBC.
