We're still a few hours away from Donald Trump officially being sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, but so much is happening already. Among the changes we've experienced in recent weeks, network television seems to kind of remember that most of the country just wants good quality programming, not liberal propaganda and woke, unfunny garbage that dances around everyone's feelings.
Oddly, even "Saturday Night Live" has even been toying with the idea of being edgy and humorous again lately, rather than simply kissing up to whatever prominent Democrat is in the news cycle each week. Whether it'll stick remains to be seen, but we're seeing signs anyway. Last month, Chris Rock hosted the show and led with a pretty funny monologue that poked fun at both sides of the political aisle, but this time, "SNL" brought on the king of comedy himself, Dave Chappelle, to get things rolling. He did not disappoint.
Okay, that's not true. He disappointed me a little. I could have done without the Jimmy Carter/Donald Trump comparison-turned-virtue signaling bit at the end, in which he tells Trump to "do better" this time around, but I know Chappelle is a liberal. I know he's not a Trump fan. And I'm okay with that. Unlike many on the left, I don't think someone should be canceled because I don't agree with their politics. And I can even enjoy someone who doesn't align with my beliefs, especially when they're as funny and talented as Chappelle.
Related: Chris Rock Pokes Fun at Both Sides While Hosting SNL, and Liberals Can't Handle It
So, politics aside, Chappelle came out on stage and gave an almost 17-minute monologue on everything from Diddy to the fires in Los Angeles to the Haitians in Ohio, and he didn't hold back. In typical fashion, there was no censoring himself or avoiding controversial topics.
He started out by talking about how Lorne Michaels has been trying to get him to host the show since October, but he's turned him down until he finally agreed to host this past week. "The moment I said yes, L.A. burst into flames," he said, adding, "It's a tough one...I'm tired of being controversial. I'm trying to turn over a new leaf, and it is way too soon to do jokes about a catastrophe like that" before he goes on to make jokes about the fires for several minutes.
Those jokes included a list of potential reasons why the fires started, followed by the line, "If you were a rational thinking person, you have to at least consider the possibility that God hates these people. Sodomites. That's not true because West Hollywood was unscathed. Because how can you burn when it's already flaming?"
I'll let the rest of the monologue speak for itself. If you're typically a fan of Chappelle's, you'll enjoy it. Just be aware that it does contain offensive language:
In addition to letting Dave be Dave, "SNL" actually opened the show by mocking MSNBC's top hosts and the way the network covers Donald Trump — like it's breaking news every time he sneezes. It's pretty funny, and as a bonus, we no longer have to suffer through Alec Baldwin playing Trump!
Anyway, I'm not holding my breath for "SNL" to become some kind of beacon of hilarity that actually pokes fun at liberals as much as it does conservatives anytime soon, but it's fun while it lasts. I'll take the small W for now.
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