Anti-Defamation League CEO condemns Dave Chappelle’s SNL monologue

Dave Chappelle’s opening monologue on Saturday Night Live was slammed by the Anti-Defamation League chairman for “popularizing anti-Semitism.”

“We shouldn’t expect @DaveChappelle to serve as society’s moral compass, but it’s troubling to see @nbcsnl not only normalize #antisemitism, but popularize it.” That’s what ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said on Sunday.

“Why are Jewish sensibilities denied or belittled on almost every corner? Why does our trauma elicit applause?”

Chappelle’s opening monologue addressed rapper Kanye “Ye” West and Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving’s recent anti-Semitism, which has led to widespread condemnation.

“I condemn anti-Semitism in all its forms and stand by my friends in the Jewish community,” Chappelle said started.

“And so, Kanye, you buy yourself some time.”

Chappelle’s focus on the subject didn’t stop there.

“I’ve been doing this for probably 35 years now and early in my career I learned that there are two words in the English language that you should never say together in a row and those words are ‘The’ and ‘Jews,'” he said he. “I’ve never heard anyone do any good after saying that.”

Chappelle said he grew up around Jews and has many Jewish friends, “so he wasn’t freaked out by your culture.”

“Why do some of your people dress like Run-DMC?” he joked in reference to the hip-hop group.

He then mentioned Irving, who is currently suspended by the Nets after sharing an anti-Semitic film on social media and was slow to apologize for it.

“Kanye got in so much trouble, Kyrie got in trouble,” Chappelle quipped.

“I’ve been to Hollywood — I don’t want you to get mad at me, I’m just telling you I’ve been to Hollywood, that’s exactly what I saw,” he also said. “There are many Jews.”

“Love it very much. But that doesn’t mean anything, you know what I mean? There are a lot of black people in Ferguson, Missouri, it doesn’t mean we run the place.”

He added that the “illusion that Jews are in show business” isn’t crazy to think, but “it’s a crazy thing to say out loud at a time like this.”

Other people on social media have blasted Chappelle for his performance, while some have defended him.

Jewish rights activist Rudy Rochman called SNL sketch “A meticulous and calculated move to desensitize the population to anti-Semitism,” said Adam Feldman, theater editor of Time Out New York argues “That monologue by Dave Chappelle SNL probably did more to normalize anti-Semitism than anything Kanye said.”

But fellow comedian Loni Love gave Chappelle kudos.

“The Dave Chappelle monologue on @snl tonight was the classic riot he’s known for…current events, topical and funny,” she said in a tweet.