Dave Chappelle to return as SNL host Saturday; Black Star to perform

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Dave Chappelle will take over hosting duties at “Saturday Night Live” Nov. 12, following next week’s midterm elections, according to NBC.

This will be the comedian’s third post-election appearance on the popular sketch comedy show, last hosting on Nov. 7, 2020 within days of Joe Biden’s presidential election win. He debuted as host on Nov. 12, 2016, following Donald Trump’s victory in that year’s presidential race, per Variety.

Iconic hip-hop duo Black Star, comprised of Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) and Talib Kweli, will accompany Chappelle as the evening’s musical guest, according to NBC.

Recently, Chappelle has come under fire for transphobic and homophobic remarks in his comedy routines. He has appeared to double down on those comments in follow-up interviews. The show’s announcement on Twitter that the comedian would be hosting the show drew comments criticizing NBC’s decision.

The criticism of Chappelle’s takes on LGBTQ+ communities amplified in the wake of his 2021 Netflix special “The Closer.” In the special, he defended transphobic comments made by “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, and self-identified as a TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist), as previously reported by theGrio.

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In the special, he added: “Gender is a fact. Every human being in this room, every human being on earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on earth. That is a fact. Now, I am not saying that to say trans women aren’t women, I am just saying that those p—sies that they got… you know what I mean? I’m not saying it’s not p—y, but it’s ‘Beyond P—y’ or ‘Impossible P—y.’ It tastes like p—y, but that’s not quite what it is, is it? That’s not blood. That’s beet juice.”

Following the special’s release and refusal from Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos to remove it from the streamer, outraged employees at Netflix staged a walkout alongside Trans Lives Matter activists and allies.

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Chappelle was additionally tackled onstage in Hollywood by a man who said he was triggered by the comedian’s jokes about the LGBTQ+ community and homelessness.

The comedian is joining forces with Chris Rock for a limited-run comedy tour beginning in December in California and Arizona following the duo’s sold-out European arena tour.

Correction: Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, 10:45 a.m.: An earlier version of this story misidentified a member of Black Star and has been corrected. The story and subhead have also been updated to more accurately reflect the reaction to the hosting announcement.

TheGrio’s Jared Alexander contributed to this report.

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