How Leslie Jones' 'SNL' skit could have been brilliant

OPINION - The travesty in Leslie Jones’s ill-received Saturday Night Live skit was not that she dared to joke about slavery, but that she missed an opportunity to bring smart humor back to the beleaguered late night show.

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

The travesty in Leslie Jones’s ill-received Saturday Night Live skit was not that she dared to joke about slavery but that she missed an opportunity to bring smart humor back to the beleaguered late night show.

Jones, one of two newly hired black women writers on SNL, made her on-camera debut during the “Weekend Update” segment. Her skit started out promising with her mentioning how Lupita Nyong’o graced People Magazine’s “Most Beautiful” cover and how at 6 feet tall and broad shouldered, Jones would fare well at a “Most Useful” list. I chuckled at her assertion that Nyong’o would probably be a man’s pick at a bar, but during a fight in the parking lot, Jones would be the clear favorite.

Then, the jokes went downhill. Jones launched into a stale joke about how her dating life would have been better during slavery.

“See, I’m single right now, but back in the slave days, I would have never been single. I’m six feet tall and I’m strong, Colin. Strong! I mean, look at me, I’m a mandingo! I’m just saying that back in the slave days, my love life would have been way better. Massah would have hooked me up with the best brotha on the plantation. I would be the number one slave draft pick.”

WATCH THE SNL SKIT BELOW

Jones then prattled off the names of NBA players that she would have birthed because she would have been “matched” with some strong-backed stud.  As expected, Twitter’s reaction was fast and furious. Most of the initial backlash took issue with Jones’s subject matter. For some, slavery is just off limits for comedy, and there’s no way to make forced mating funny.

theGRIO REPORT: Leslie Jones’ slave monologue on ‘SNL’ sparks backlash

But racism, slavery and other controversial topics are ripe for comedy. When done well, a humorous take on a serious subject can prove to be just as enlightening and thought-provoking as a panel discussion or a TED Talk.  You can take a look in the SNL archives for an example of it. The Paul Mooney-penned word association sketch with Richard Pryor and Chevy Chase is the work of legends.

Not to mention blatant racism is naturally comical because of its absurdity. Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy recently made headlines when he said that he thinks black people (“negroes”) were better off as slaves. LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling has also been in the news for his archaic views on black people and how he “gives” his black players money and cars and the like as if they are not employees who earn their multi-million dollar contracts.

Had Jones incorporated those two headlines into her skit in a smart way, her bit could have been brilliant and one for the archives as well. Instead, what we got was a tired routine that seemed like something an amateur comic would leave on the stand-up stage where it presumably curled up and died.   Jones defended herself on Twitter by noting that had the joke been made by Dave Chapelle or Chris Rock, people would  have called it brilliant. That might be the case, because Chapelle and Rock would have approached that joke in a different, more nuanced way.

Of course, Jones also pulled the “you black folks are too sensitive” card on Twitter. But the thing is, the joke just wasn’t funny, and it wasn’t smart.

When you have a joke that falls flat, the thud is even harder when the subject matter is controversial. A joke about slavery and sports figures and racism could have been timely, provocative and entertaining.  The problem is not the subject matter. The problem was the handling of the subject matter and perhaps the performance limits of who delivered it.

Follow Demetria Irwin on Twitter at @Love_Is_Dope and connect with her on Facebook.

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