American actor and stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle delivered a stirring speech in his opening monologue on the most recent “Saturday Night Live” episode.
Chappelle gave a heartfelt account of how the late President Jimmy Carter inspired him before he made a plea to President-elect Donald Trump before he takes office on Monday. This came after the comedian’s long standup set, during which he made jokes about Sean “Diddy” Combs, among other topics.
“Years ago, after I left my show, I was in the Middle East. The comedian recalled, “I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.” “Everyone in the area was talking about a former American president being in the Middle East while I was there because Jimmy Carter flew to Israel.”
According to Chappelle, Carter decided he wanted to visit a Palestinian territory while he was in Israel, promoting his contentious 2006 book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid,” despite the Israeli government’s advice to the contrary and its inability to provide him with sufficient protection at the time.
In any case, Jimmy Carter went. Chappelle remarked, “I will never forget the pictures of a former American president walking with little to no security while thousands of Palestinians were supporting him.”
“Additionally, I started crying when I saw that photo. That man right there is undoubtedly a fantastic individual, but I’m not sure if he’s a good president.”
After receiving applause and shouts for the statement, Chappelle went straight to Trump and declared, “The presidency is no place for petty people.”
Whether people “voted for you or not, they’re all counting on you,” he urged Trump to keep in mind. “Regardless of their feelings for you, they are all depending on you. The world is depending on you.
“I truly mean it when I wish you luck. Please try harder the next time. We should all try harder the next time,” he said.
“Remember your humanity and show compassion for those who are displaced, whether they are in Palestine or the Palisades,” he continued, alluding to the flames in Los Angeles that have primarily burned the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood and other places.
Naturally, a lot of jokes were said before Chappelle’s address.
He started his show by joking about how he turned down “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels’ first offer to host the first episode following the 2024 election. He started by smoking a cigarette. He remembered answering, “Nope, I’m pretty fine.”
Chappelle went on to quip that he was eventually persuaded to return as host after realising he could use it as a chance to “get rid of” old jokes about Trump, so he agreed.
He also made light of the fact that he was the only person in Hollywood who didn’t seem to get invited to Combs’ “freak-off” parties before the troubled rapper was arrested.
Chappelle said, “I look like I’ll tell,” and attributed it to having “snitch energy.”
GloRilla was the episode’s musical guest. Next week’s broadcast of “Saturday Night Live” will feature Timothée Chalamet as both the host and musical guest.
