Apparently, some Saturday Night Live writers aren’t thrilled with Dave Chappelle hosting its upcoming episode.
According to Decider, sources close to the show have told Page Six that writers have been so angry about Chappelle coming to host that they are deciding to boycott. However, according to the source, none of the actors have boycotted.
While the report can't be substantiated, Decider did report that Celeste Yim, a writer for Saturday Night Live, did post to their Instagram how uneasy they felt about Chappelle, who has transformed his brand into one that focuses on making incendiary jokes about trans people, coming to guest host.
“I’m trans and non-binary. I use they/them pronouns. Transphobia is murder and it should be condemned,” they wrote. They didn’t go as far as to say they were boycotting, but from the tweet, it’s clear that there is a feeling of animosity and frustration among at least some of the writers.
Chappelle's rep said, however, that there wasn't any evidence of a boycott, claiming the writer's room was full of seemingly excited people pitching ideas.
Chappelle’s episode airs Nov. 12 at 11:30 p.m./10:30 p.m. central, so we might be able to see live if there will be any evidence of tension among the cast or in the audience.
Chappelle has become a lightning rod in the comedy community and among his fans for his statements against trans people, with the National Black Justice Coalition being among the organizations to plead with Netflix to take down Chappelle’s latest special, The Closer.
David Johns, Executive Director of the National Black Coalition, said in a statement how "deeply disappointing" it is to hear what he categorized as "lazy and hostile transphobia and homophobia" on Netflix.
“With 2021 on track to be the deadliest year on record for transgender people in the United States–the majority of whom are Black transgender people–Netflix should know better,” he said. “Perpetuating transphobia perpetuates violence. Netflix should immediately pull The Closer from its platform and directly apologize to the transgender community. Make no mistake: Black LGBTQ+ and same gender people exist–and have always existed. The fight against oppression is not a zero sum game, and the pervasiveness of white supremacy in the United States is not an excuse for homophobia or transphobia.”
