At the end of last season, several long-time cast members left Saturday Night Live. Only a handful of episodes in, Season 48 has mixed reviews. Yes, we got to see David S. Pumpkins again, but not a lot has stood out this season so far. Many of the cast members who left had dominated the sketches for the last few years (Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant, I love you and I miss you) and it seems like all the new additions are still trying to find their groove.
Over the past few months, tensions have been building the closer we get to Election Day. This weekend (regardless of the election outcomes), we will all probably need to relax and have a good laugh. So who is Saturday Night Live planning to entertain us with? The musical guest is Black Star (very cool). However, the hosting duties are going to comedian Dave Chappelle.
SNL, this is the best you could do?
Dave Chappelle first hosted SNL in 2016, right after the infamous Presidential election that left much of America feeling lost and confused. He did not host again until right after the 2020 Presidential election. So now, they are bringing him back again for the first show following the 2022 Midterms for some reason.
I understand Dave Chappelle is a big name that will draw in viewers and he used to be hilarious. But thanks to his affinity for telling transphobic jokes, many people won’t be watching because of his hateful comedy and the powers that be at SNL must know that by now. The choice of a transphobic host seemed especially strange now that the show has its first non-binary cast member and that, as previously reported by TMS, the show hasn’t been giving them equal introduction time so far this season.
In response to SNL’s hosting announcement on Twitter, many people responded with a screenshot of when Don Cheadle hosted wearing a “Protect Trans Kids” shirt, reminding everyone that sometimes the show makes good choices.
Honestly, I can see SNL is trying to have an election tradition. And I used to be a big fan of Dave Chappelle, I’ve even seen him perform live. But a lot has changed over the past few years and Chappelle’s “jokes” haven’t. He willfully ignores the comedic adage of never “punching down” in order to stay controversial and his idea of “edgy,” and it is time to stop giving him a platform. The show could have gotten several people to host. The new Weird Al biopic came out this week, so Daniel Radcliffe or Weird Al (or both together) could have been relevant hosts without the rampant transphobia. Please, SNL, try to do better next time.
(featured image: Reddit)
