November 10, 2022
Chappelle to Host 'SNL' – Are Show's Writers Boycotting?
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Comedian Dave Chappelle, whose standup material many have decried as transphobic, is set to host "Saturday Night Live" – which has at least one trans writer, Celeste Yim, on staff.
There are conflicting reports as to whether some or all of the show's writers are boycotting the episode Chappelle is slated to host, which will air Nov. 12, the Daily Beast said.
An unnamed source told Page Six that the writers are "not going to do the show," though "none of the actors are boycotting."
"But Chappelle's rep told us that there was nothing to suggest that there was a boycott when they attended writers' meetings this week," the Page Six story added.
"The room was full of writers," the newspaper quoted the rep as saying. "They all pitched ideas and they seemed very excited about it."
Added the rep: "Dave is looking to have some fun."
But, Page Six reported, Yim took to their Instagram Story after Chappelle's hosting stint was announced, declaring, "I'm trans and non-binary. I use they/them pronouns."
"Transphobia is murder and it should be condemned," Yim added.
The controversial comic "last hosted the sketch comedy show in 2020, well before Netflix released his 2021 special 'The Closer,'" the special that "angered some viewers because many of Chappelle's jokes were aimed at the trans community," Page Six recalled.
As previously reported, in one joke featured in "The Closer," Chappelle declared "Trans women" genitalia are "not quite what it is," before throwing his support with controversial "Harry Potter" creator J.K. Rowling, who has also been criticized for remarks seen as transphobic. Chappelle quipped that he and Rowling both belong to "Team TERF!," an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist.
Unfazed by the pushback, Netflix rewarded the comedian with a deal for several more comedy specials, while the streamer's chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, inflamed the situation further by declaring that the comedian's jokes did not "directly translate to real-world harm."
Some Netflix employees disagreed, registering their disapproval by staging a walkout.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
