Dave Chappelle tried to stroll a tough line on “Saturday Night Live” this week.

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Matt Petit/A.M.P.A.S through Getty Images

Dave Chappelle tried to stroll a tough line on “Saturday Night Live” this week.

Matt Petit/A.M.P.A.S through Getty Images

No one walks a rhetorical tightrope as deftly as Dave Chappelle.

That thought nagged at me whereas watching Chappelle’s widely-anticipated look final night time on Saturday Night Live, the place his guest-hosting stints after main electoral occasions have grow to be one thing of a practice.

But Chappelle did not commit a lot of his monologue to the midterm elections, despite the fact that information had damaged earlier within the day that Democrats had defied expectations to probably retain management of the Senate. He spent extra time speaking about Kanye West and antisemitism.

“Early in my career, I learned there are two words you should never say together,” Chappelle famous throughout his opening monologue. “Those words are…’the’ and ‘Jews.’ Never heard someone do good after they said that.”

Chappelle was already a controversial visitor; critics — together with me — slammed his 2021 Netflix particular The Closer for its homophobic and transphobic jokes. He did not apologize. As I stated in my review, Chappelle appears to assume he is above criticism; for him, race appears to trump all.

That modus operandi was in full show Saturday night time. As his monologue unfolded, Chappelle negotiated a advantageous line – admitting West, now generally known as Ye, stated issues so horrible that even Adidas, an organization based by brothers who have been members of the Nazi party in the 1930s, was offended (“I guess the student surpassed the teacher.”) But on the identical time, the comedian appeared to counsel that Ye’s barbs about Jewish folks controlling the media and present enterprise – echoing traditional antisemitic tropes – weren’t totally unfaithful. (“I’ve been to Hollywood – it’s a lot of Jews,” he cracked. “Like, a lot.”)

He additionally joked about Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, who was suspended after posting a hyperlink to an antisemitic movie, known as Hebrew to Negroes: Wake Up Black America, that asserts the Holocaust by no means occurred. Chappelle famous Irving’s “Black a– was nowhere near the Holocaust.”

One line particularly appeared to stun the viewers, earlier than they supplied scattered applause: “I know the Jewish people have been through some terrible things all over the world. But you can’t blame that on Black Americans.”

What that has to do with an expert athlete posting a hyperlink to antisemitic movie with no rationalization – after which taking a number of lengthy days to disavow the movie’s antisemitic content material – I have no idea.

What I do know, is that considered one of comedy’s boldest and most incisive voices had an opportunity to led perception to the lengthy wrestle Black America has had with antisemitism. But as a substitute, his monologue appeared crammed with justification and minimization – failing to say, as an example, allegations that Ye has expressed admiration for Nazi chief Adolf Hitler.

Yes, comedy is not a information report. But if we will elevate significantly expert performers like Chappelle – as a result of there is a sense their work additionally accommodates highly effective truths about society and life – then we even have to notice after they provide materials that does the other and obscures a problem which ought to be lower and dried.

The remainder of Chappelle’s Saturday Night Live look unfolded as a better-than-average episode. A pre-taped parody of HBO’s House of the Dragon that includes further Black characters, some impressed by figures from the comedian’s legendary Comedy Central program Chappelle’s Show (and Ice T as Light Skinned Larry Targaryen) was significantly on level.

Another bit that includes white anchors joking with a Black blues artist concerning the title of his album Potato Hole – till he tells them it was a crevice enslaved folks dug to cover their most valued possessions from plantation homeowners – additionally scored.

But Chappelle’s monologue had already thrown me off stability; one other second when an artist who followers admire for illuminating points in shocking methods selected a special path, letting us all down within the course of.