Dave Chappelle Talks Trump, Mass Shootings In Powerful SNL Monologue
Comedian Dave Chappelle (middle) laughs with A Tribe Called Quest members Jarobi (left) and Q-Tip (right) in a promo video for Saturday Night Live.
Tumultuous political times - and nostalgia - had fans foaming at the mouth for Dave Chappelle's guest spot on Saturday Night Live. And from his opening monologue, the iconic comedian delivered the sharp, hilarious observations he's built his career on.
Chappelle's opening monologue started off speaking about the election. He said that he suspected that Donald Trump may win, saying, "I know the whites. You guys aren't full of surprises like you used to." He was more surprised by the images of whites both sides upset. "I saw a white riot in Portland, Oregon the other night," he joked.
He also unexpectedly spoke about the spike in mass shootings in the United States in recent years. He specifically mentioned the shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Fla. He differentiated the shooter pledging allegiance to ISIS with the previous report of him actually being a member of the terrorist group. "If I'm about to have sex with a girl and I scream out 'Wu-Tang,' that doesn't mean I'm a member of the Wu-Tang Clan!" he reasoned. "I'm just shouting Wu-Tang out."
He also spoke about Black Lives Matter. "I admit that it's not the best slogan, but McDonald's already took 'You deserve a break today,'" he said. "...Even police say, Blue Lives Matter. What, were you born a police? That's not a blue life, that's a blue suit."
The comedian closed out the monologue by saying he would stay open-minded about Trump's impending presidency. But he demanded Trump - whose campaign was derided for its racism, sexism and xenophobia - to do the same.
"I'm wishing Donald Trump luck, and I'm going to give him a chance. And we, the historically disenfranchised, demand that he give us one too," Chappelle said.
