Dave Chapelle devoted a portion of his Saturday Night Live opening monologue to addressing Kanye “Ye” West’s antisemitic comments and found himself in hot water with the Anti-Defamation League.
Chappelle began by stating, “I denounce antisemitism in all its forms. And I stand with my friends in the Jewish community,” before adding, “And that, Kanye, is how you buy yourself some time.”
Chappelle also discussed the controversy around Kyrie Irving, who recently was suspended from the Brooklyn Nets for at least five games after he shared a link to the documentary Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America — a film that is believed to contain antisemitic sentiments.
“He was slow to apologize,” said Chappelle, before stating, “The demands to get back in their good graces got longer and longer, and this is where I draw the line: I know the Jewish people have been through terrible things all over the world, but you can’t blame that on Black Americans. You just can’t.”
Chappelle went on to suggest that the “delusion that Jews run show business” is “not a crazy thing to think,” but “it’s a crazy thing to say out loud.”
Jonathan Greenblatt, the head of the Jewish civil rights organization, took to Twitter shortly after the show to accuse Chappelle of normalizing and popularizing antisemitism.
“Why are Jewish sensitivities denied or diminished at almost every turn? Why does our trauma trigger applause?” Greenblatt wrote.
Influencer Rabbi Josh Yuter tweeted, “the key point” of the monologue was that “there are double standards regarding who can say what about whom.”
The Jerusalem Post characterized the monologue as “engaging in antisemitic tropes,” while Adam Feldman of Time Out New York said the monologue “probably did more to normalize [antisemitism] than anything Kanye said.”
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Related Posts
Music notes: BTS, Olivia Rodrigo and more
December 5, 2023
More members of BTS are getting ready to set out on their mandatory South Korean military service.…
“She’s a genius”: Jimmy Fallon explains how Meghan Trainor helped him wrap up a holiday hit
December 5, 2023
Disney/Randy HolmesOver the past few years, Jimmy Fallon has released some Christmas songs with the…
“Barbenheimer” stars Margot Robbie and Cillian Murphy talk the year’s most unlikely double feature
December 5, 2023
Warner Bros. Pictures - UniversalOppenheimer star Cillian Murphy sat down for one of Variety's…
Lil Nas X Crocs collab now available, along with custom Jibbitz charms
December 5, 2023
Courtesy CROCSLil Nas X will help keep your feet toasty this winter — not by holding them to the…
Nicolas Cage says he’s done with movies, wants to try TV
December 5, 2023
ABC/Randy HolmesNicolas Cage may be trading the big screen for the small screen in the near……
Pedro Pascal, Margot Robbie among ‘People”s Most Intriguing People of 2023
December 5, 2023
Getty Images for DisneyPeople has released its Most Intriguing People of 2023, and as always, it's…
Taylor Swift is the most powerful entertainer on ‘Forbes” World’s Most Powerful Women list
December 5, 2023
Kevin Mazur/WireImage for ParkwoodTaylor Swift is the only musician — and the only entertainer — in…
Disney/Pixar streaming movies ‘Soul’, ‘Luca’ and ‘Turning Red’ heading to theaters for the first time
December 5, 2023
'Soul' - Disney/PixarThree Disney/Pixar movies that made their debuts on Disney+ are heading to…