Entertainment
‘SNL’ Staff Writers Boycott Show Over Dave Chappelle Hosting Gig
(CTN NEWS) – SNL staff writers are boycotting the show due to Dave Chappelle’s hosting decision.
Last week’s episode of the long-running sketch show hosted by Amy Schumer confirmed the 49-year-old comedian’s death.
Some staff writers at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City are angry that the showrunners chose Dave Chappelle to host because of his history of making transphobic and homophobic jokes.
‘They won’t do the show,’ the unnamed insider told the news site. However, none of the actors are boycotting”.
EXCLUSIVE: 'SNL' staff writers boycott over Dave Chappelle's hosting gig https://t.co/R7q0lryoo3 pic.twitter.com/RZdqxb102k
— New York Post (@nypost) November 9, 2022
During their weekly meetings with the writers, Dave Chappelle’s representatives said they had not seen any signs of a boycott.
On Tuesday, Chapelle met with writers and producers at 30 Rock to hear their ideas. ‘There were a lot of writers in the room,’ the comedian’s rep told Page Six.
‘They all pitched ideas and seemed very excited about it…’ Dave is looking forward to having some fun,’ they said.
In response to last Saturday’s announcement that Dave Chappelle would host, non-binary SNL writer Celeste Yim posted a picture to Instagram of herself in what appeared to be the writer’s office.
They wrote: ”I’m trans and non-binary. I use they/them pronouns. Transphobia is murder and it should be condemned.”
Yim’s post did not directly reference Dave Chappelle, but the timing suggested they criticized Chappelle’s selection. Yim may be among the writers boycotting the show this weekend.
NBC has been contacted for comment about the reports of a boycott by DailyMail.com. Observers have also pointed out that the upcoming episode will air right after the U.S. midterm elections.
According to Variety, it will be the comedian’s third appearance on the show following an election. As the evening’s musical guests, Chappelle will be joined by the rap duo Black Star.
The last time he hosted the show was before Chappelle’s Netflix special ‘The Closer’, where some jokes were directed at trans people.
Throughout The Closer, Chappelle emphasizes that he doesn’t hate transgender people and tells a long anecdote about a trans woman comic who came to his defence earlier in his relationship with the community.
The trans friend was criticized for intentionally misgendering him.
In the contentious special, Chappelle also joked that women today view transwomen the same way black people might view white women wearing blackface and said:
Women are entitled to feel anger toward transwomen since Caitlyn Jenner won the 2015 Woman of the Year award from Glamour magazine.
“I’d be mad if I were a woman,” Dave Chappelle says in a problematic scene.
Also, in the special, the star jokes that transwomen lack real female reproductive organs and have nothing but ‘beet juice for blood. Shortly after Donald Trump’s election, the performer debuted as the show’s host.
According to USA Today, the actor discussed the implications of the former television personality’s new role as president. ‘America’s done it — we’ve actually elected an Internet troll as our president,’ he said.
Despite this, Dave Chappelle unexpectedly ended his opening monologue on a positive note.
We, the historically disenfranchised, demand that he also give us a chance. I wish Donald Trump luck, and I will give him a chance.
His work on the show earned him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. Following that year’s presidential election, the comedian returned to the show in 2020.
Vote counts were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and were only confirmed on the day of the taping.
In the episode, Chappelle expressed via Vox that the United States had become deeply divided, and reconciliation was more important than many would expect.
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