There isn't anything that can shake Dave Chappelle, not even criticism from the Anti-Defamation League. Over the weekend, Chappelle returned to the Saturday Night Live stage and delivered a performance that received praise from fans. However, his 15-minute monologue left many up in arms, including Jonathan Greenblatt.
The head of the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights organization, took to Twitter to call out the comedian. "We shouldn't expect @DaveChappelle to serve as society's moral compass, but disturbing to see @nbcsnl not just normalize but popularize #antisemitism," he stated.
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Greenblatt continued, "Why are Jewish sensitivities denied or diminished at almost every turn? Why does our trauma trigger applause?"
He was one of many who came forward to speak out against Chappelle and Saturday Night Live.
"What I do know, is that one of comedy's boldest and most incisive voices had a chance to lend insight to the long struggle Black America has had with antisemitism," wrote Eric Deggans, a critic for NPR. "But instead, his monologue seemed filled with justification and minimization — failing to mention, for instance, allegations that Ye has expressed admiration for Nazi leader Adolf Hitler."
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During his appearance on the long-standing series, Chappelle mentioned Kanye West and Kyrie Irving. Both men face scandals after being accused of anti-Semitism, and the controversies were at the center of Chapelle's jokes.
"I denounce anti-Semitism in all its forms and I stand with my friends in the Jewish community," Chappelle said on SNL. "And that, Kanye, is how you buy yourself some time." He also said there are "two words in the English language that you should never say together in sequence: 'The' and 'Jews.'"
"I've been to Hollywood and — no one get mad at me — I'm just telling you what I saw," said Chappelle. "It's a lot of Jews. Like a lot. But that doesn't mean anything! You know what I mean? Because there are a lot of Black people in Ferguson, Missouri, it doesn't mean we run the place."
Revisit Dave Chappelle's SNL monologue above.
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