Dave Chappelle sauntered onto the January 18 episode of Saturday Night Live like a man who had been strong-armed into a family reunion he didn’t RSVP for. And in true Chappelle fashion, he turned the awkwardness into gold, taking aim at the Los Angeles fires, the election, and pretty much anything else that dared to exist in the last few months.
At 51 years young (and just as mischievous as ever), Dave admitted that he initially wanted nothing to do with the gig. Lorne Michaels offered him the first post-election episode, to which Dave basically replied, “Hard pass, buddy.” He then quipped, “I told him, ‘Save me the date closest to January 6,’ because, you know, I love a cheerful anniversary.”
When the offer came back around in December, Dave shrugged and said, “Fine, I’ll do it. But the second I agree, what happens? Los Angeles goes full fireball mode. Coincidence? I think not.”
Dave, master of poking the bear, immediately noted that he was trying to be less controversial these days. “I’m turning over a new leaf,” he claimed, probably while smirking. But then, true to form, he couldn’t resist. “It’s way too soon to joke about these fires,” he said, before proceeding to, well, joke about those fires.
He described the inferno with his signature flair, saying it only reinforced his disdain for, wait for it, poor people. “They’re out here crying about celebrities losing their multi-million-dollar mansions like they don’t have the emotional bandwidth to feel bad for themselves and Beyoncé at the same time.”
Dave also delved into the wild theories about what sparked the fires. Was it arson? Divine intervention? A squirrel with a grudge? Chappelle’s take? “If you’re rational, you might think, ‘Maybe God just hates rich people.’ But then I remembered: West Hollywood made it out just fine. And you can’t burn what’s already flaming.” Mic. Drop.
But wait, there’s more. Dave took detours into fame’s pitfalls, the Trump circus, and even threw in a mention of Luigi Mangione and Diddy because why not? It was a monologue that ricocheted like a pinball machine, with Chappelle gleefully slapping every button.
Tonight, the comedic chaos was complemented by musical guest GloRilla. And trust me, if the monologue is anything to go by, you’re going to want to refresh your feed for clips because the laughs aren’t just coming—they’re sprinting at you full speed.