Anti-Defamation League Condemns Dave Chappelle’s ‘SNL’ Monologue

The Anti-Defamation League wasn’t impressed by Dave Chappelle’s Saturday Night Live monologue, which took aim at Kanye West’s antisemitism by echoing the same tropes the rapper peddled in the first place. “It’s a big deal, he had broken the show business rules,” Chappelle said of West during his show-opening monologue. “You know, the rules of perception. If they’re Black, then it’s a gang. If they’re Italian, it’s a mob. If they’re Jewish, it’s a coincidence and you should never speak about it.” The comedian continued: “I’ve been to Hollywood and—no one get mad at me—I’m just telling you what I saw. It’s a lot of Jews. Like a lot.” He later added that the “delusion that Jews run show business” is “not a crazy thing to think,” but “it’s a crazy thing to say out loud.” In response to the monologue, the ADL’s CEO Jonathan Goldblatt on Sunday morning tweeted a statement: “We shouldn't expect @DaveChappelle to serve as society's moral compass, but disturbing to see @nbcsnl not just normalize but popularize #antisemitism. Why are Jewish sensitivities denied or diminished at almost every turn? Why does our trauma trigger applause?”