ADL CEO condemns Chappelle ‘Saturday Night Live’ monologue

The CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Sunday criticized Dave Chappelle over the weekend after the comedian delivered a monologue on “Saturday Night Live” poking fun at Jewish people.

Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted “we shouldn’t expect Dave Chappelle to serve as society’s moral compass” but said it was “disturbing” for SNL to “not just normalize but popularize antisemitism.”

“Why are Jewish sensitivities denied or diminished at almost every turn?” Greenblatt wrote on his personal Twitter account. “Why does our trauma trigger applause?”

Chappelle appeared on SNL over the weekend for a stand-up monologue that covered multiple trending topics, including recent antisemitic comments from Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West.

“I learned that there are two words you should never say in the English language, and those words are ‘The’ and ‘Jews’,” Chappelle joked. “I never heard someone do good after they did that.”

Chappelle also quipped about Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, who was suspended after refusing to apologize for tweeting out a link about a documentary that perpetuates antisemitic beliefs.

He later said there were “a lot of Jews” in Hollywood.

“But that doesn’t mean anything. There’s a lot of Black people in Ferguson, Missouri, but that doesn’t mean we run the place,” Chappelle said. “The illusion that the Jews run show business is not a crazy thing to think, but it is a crazy thing to say out loud in a climate like this.”

Antisemitic hate incidents have been on the rise in the U.S. and hit a record high in 2021, according to the ADL.

Chappelle has also faced criticism for his comments and jokes about the transgender community, especially after the release of his Netflix special “The Closer” last year.

Both the comedian and Netflix have defended his stand-up performances and said artistic freedom should be protected.

Chappelle also took a few jabs at Herschel Walker, the former football standout facing a runoff election next month in Georgia’s Senate race.

“Now the midterms are over and it’s a crazy climate. And I gotta tell you, I feel like with this midterms, like all of humanity depends on it. And it’s an ominous sign,” he quipped.

“The most ominous sign of the midterms I believe to be Herschel Walker, who I don’t want to speak badly of because he’s black. But I have to admit, he’s observably stupid,” he added. “He’s the kind of guy who looks he thinks before he makes a move on tic-tac-toe.”

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