Dave Chappelle’s reps are denying reports that members of Saturday Night Live’s writing staff are boycotting this week’s episode, which sees the controversial comedian hosting for the third time. Indeed, when it was announced a few weeks ago that Chappelle would be hosting the first Saturday Night Live following the mid-term elections in the U.S, many were expecting trouble. Last year, some members of Netflix’s staff infamously walked out of work to boycott the comedian’s special, The Closer, which included jokes that some in the transgender community deemed offensive. Considering that SNL has a non-binary cast member and a transgender writer on staff, some have been expecting a boycott. According to a statement made to TMZ, there have been no staff boycotts at all, despite reports to the contrary.
According to the TMZ report, Chappelle’s writers/cast meetings have been full, with everyone pitching sketches as they usually do. No boycott seems to be happening, meaning the comedian’s return to SNL has been relatively controversy-free among the staff. Remember that when Andrew “Dice” Clay hosted in 1990, cast member Nora Dunn refused to participate in the week’s episode. Many blame that event for triggering the backlash that led to the premature decline of Dice’s career.
Chappelle has been a fixture on SNL, with him famously hosting the first episode to air after Donald Trump was elected in 2016. He also showed up in cameos when Eddie Murphy hosted in 2019, and his last time hosting, in 2020, went off without a hitch.
Despite the employee boycott, Chappelle’s relationship with Netflix remains strong. The service recently dropped his 40-minute speech at Duke Ellington School of the Arts as a special called What’s in a Name? He’s also been a staple in their “Netflix is a Joke” comedy tours, although during a stop in Los Angeles in May, he was tackled on stage by an attendee.
Chappelle’s SNL episode airs Saturday, November 12th. Will you be watching?