Jerry Seinfeld has given his thoughts on Dave Chappelle’s controversial “Saturday Night Live” monologue.
Seinfeld, who is Jewish, addressed the comedic routine — which centered around Kanye West’s antisemitic tirades and “normalized antisemitism” — in a new interview with the Hollywood Reporter.
“I did think the comedy was well-executed,” the 68-year-old comedian told the outlet. “But I think the subject matter calls for a conversation that I don’t think I’d want to have in this venue.
Jerry Seinfeld and Dave Chappelle in May 2022 in Los Angeles, California.Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Netflix“It provokes a conversation which hopefully is productive,” he continued when asked if the comments made him “uncomfortable.”
Seinfeld also noted that though he is friends with Chappelle, he doesn’t “have a close relationship with him.”
Chappelle during the “Saturday Night Live” monologue on Nov. 12.Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images Chappelle, 49, made a guest appearance on Seinfeld’s Netflix talk show “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” in 2018, and the conversation is featured in the upcoming book about the show.
Last weekend, Chappelle hosted “SNL” — which reportedly ignited a boycott from some of the show’s writers — and began his monologue by unfolding a piece of paper and saying, “I denounce antisemitism in all its forms. And I stand with my friends in the Jewish community. And that, Kanye, is how you buy yourself some time.”
“I’ve probably been doing this for 35 years now and early in my career I learned there are two words in the English language you should never say together in sequence and those words are ‘The’ and ‘Jews,’” Chappelle continued. “I never heard someone do good after they said that.”
Chappelle and Seinfeld on “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” in 2018.Netflix/Kobal/ShutterstockThe controversial comedian also said that he grew up around Jewish people “so I’m not freaked out by your culture,” and that “delusion that Jews run show business” is “not a crazy thing to think,” but “it’s a crazy thing to say out loud.”
“It shouldn’t be this scary to talk about anything,” Chappelle said. “It’s making my job incredibly difficult.”
Chappelle’s “SNL” monologue has been widely criticized, including by the Anti-Defamation League.
Seinfeld has given his thoughts on Chappelle’s controversial “Saturday Night Live” monologue.ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images“We shouldn’t expect @DaveChappelle to serve as society’s moral compass, but disturbing to see @NBCSNL not just normalize but popularize #antisemitism,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said Sunday.
“Why are Jewish sensitivities denied or diminished at almost every turn? Why does our trauma trigger applause?” Greenblatt continued.
“SNL” also faced backlash for having Chappelle host in the first place due to his comments about the trans community in his 2021 comedy special, “The Closer.”
