Dave Chappelle made his return to “Saturday Night Live” on Saturday (Nov. 7), the same day it was announced that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. The comedian kicked off the show with a 16-minute long monologue where he covered everything from COVID-19, to President Donald Trump, to racism.
He started his monologue by talking about his great grandfather, who he said was born a slave in South Carolina and was a slave for 10 years, and after he was freed he dedicated his life to education, freedom of black people, and Jesus Christ. “I thought about him all day today because I wish I could see him now. I wish he could see me. Because I wonder what he would say,” the comedian said. “This week I flew to New York on a private jet to host the ‘Night Live.’ Netflix started streaming a show that bears his name, ‘The Chappelle Show.’ HBO Max is streaming it. And I didn’t get paid for any of it. Yeah, if he could see me now he’d probably be like, “‘This n-gga got bought and sold more than I have.’”
The comedian had his fair share of edgy jokes including one about women deserving to only make half of what men make, and how mass shootings have stopped thanks to the pandemic. “Do you guys remember what life was like before Covid? I do. There was a mass shooting every week. Anyone remember that? Thank god for Covid,” he quipped. “Someone had to lock these murderous whites up, keep them in the house.”
He also spoke about how some white people reacted to COVID-19 and how some refuse to wear masks because they believe that it’s oppressive. “I don’t know why poor white people don’t like wearing masks. What is the problem? Wear masks at the Klan rally, wear it at the Walmart too. Wear your Klan hood at Walmart so we can all feel safe,” he joked. “Don’t even want to wear your mask because it’s oppressive. Try wearing the mask I been wearing all these years!”
In regards to the presidential election, Chappelle asked people who were happy with Joe Biden being named the president-elect on Saturday morning to be more sympathetic to those on the other side. “I would implore everybody who’s celebrating a day to remember, it’s good to be a humble winner. Remember when I was here four years ago? Remember how bad that felt? Remember that half the country right now still feels that way. Please remember that” he said. “All these white people out there that feel that anguish, that pain, that man, they think nobody cares. Maybe they don’t. Let me tell you something. I know how that feels. I promise you, I know how that feels.”
He added: “I don’t hate anybody. I just hate that feeling. That’s what I fight through. That’s what I suggest you fight through. You got to find a way to live your life. Got to find a way to forgive each other. Got to find a way to find joy in your existence in spite of that feeling.”
The Emmy winner was called to return to host the sketch comedy show for the second time, for the show’s first post-election episode. His first time hosting the show was in November 2016, the Saturday after Donald Trump won the presidential election over Hillary Clinton. Watch Dave Chappelle’s full “SNL” monologue below.