Comedian Dave Chappelle opened Saturday Night Live’s first show with a 15-minute monologue that tackled a range of topics, from the Los Angeles wildfires to Donald Trump’s upcoming inauguration. The monologue, marked by Chappelle’s signature blend of humor and provocation, drew mixed reactions from viewers. Chappelle shared that executive producer Lorne Michaels had been persistent in booking him for the episode following the election, a request he initially refused. He said,
“The moment I said yes, L.A. burst into flames. And it’s a tough one, you know what I mean, because I’m tired of being controversial, I’m trying to turn over a new leaf. And it is way too soon to be doing jokes about a catastrophe like that.”
Chappelle acknowledged the weight of recent events and his participation with controversy including with the LGBTQ community. Turning to conspiracy theories about the fires, Chappelle joked
“There’s just too many factors. If you were a rational-thinking person, you have to at least consider the possibility that God hates these people. Sodomites! But that’s not true because West Hollywood was unscathed, because how can you burn what is already flaming?”
