SNL staff walk out over Dave Chappelle hosting gig

Staff writers for Saturday Night Live are staging a boycott after it was announced controversial comic Dave Chappelle is hosting the show this week.

There’s unrest at US broadcaster NBC over a decision to sign up comedian Dave Chappelle to host Saturday Night Live this weekend.

Page Six has been told that some staff writers for the long-running US late-night comedy show are so furious that they are sitting out the episode, after it was announced Chappelle, who has courted controversy with transphobic and homophobic jokes, was to host the iconic show.

“They’re not going to do the show,” an insider told Page Six. “But none of the actors are boycotting.”

But Chappelle’s rep told the publication that there was nothing to suggest that there was a boycott when they attended writers’ meetings this week.

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Comedian Dave Chappelle.

SNL revealed last week the Chappelle Show star would host the program with musical guest Black Star on November 12. It will be his third time as host.

He last headed up the sketch comedy show in 2020, well before Netflix released his 2021 special The Closer, which angered some viewers because many of Chappelle’s jokes were aimed at the trans community, including intentionally misgendering a trans friend and fellow comedian.

The announcement that Chappelle will host SNL comes shortly after the show made history when it announced its first non-binary cast member Molly Kearney back in September. Kearney has not publicly addressed Chappelle’s upcoming show, but fans have rallied behind them.

Wonder how SNL’s first nonbinary castmember this season must feel about them platforming Dave Chappelle next week. Disappointing but not surprising. Feeling for Molly Kearney right now

— JULIA! (@S0UNDOFMETAL) November 6, 2022

I love SNL. I've been a fan all my life. But having Dave Chappelle on as host is not the move. You have your first non-binary cast member ever and then you book an proud and open transphobe. What a disappointment.

— Sean Altly (@SeanAltly) November 6, 2022

Dave Chappelle is being given a massive platform again on SNL, time for people that ✨aren’t✨ trans to tell me that he isn’t a transphobe and defend him.

— r3dn3ck_commie ☭ (@r3dn3ck_commie) November 7, 2022

cool and normal that Chappelle's hosting SNL this weekend and we're all just fine with that https://t.co/f6mKASJytl

— Mel Woods (@intothemelwoods) November 9, 2022

Chappelle was at NBC’s New York headquarters on Tuesday meeting with writers and producers and his rep told Page Six: “There was no evidence of a boycott.

“The room was full of writers. They all pitched ideas and they seemed very excited about it … Dave is looking to have some fun.”

After the announcement, SNL writer Celeste Yim reportedly wrote on Instagram Stories: “I’m trans and non-binary. I use they/them pronouns. Transphobia is murder and it should be condemned.”

It is unclear if they are one of the writers boycotting this week’s show or if they were actually referring to Chappelle. They did not return a request for comment.

Reps for SNL and Chappelle also did not return requests for comment.

It will be the third time Dave Chappelle has hosted SNL. Picture: Don Emmert/AFP

The actor and comedian has been embroiled in a furore since the release of comedy special The Closer.

Controversy over the show last year led to a walkout of Netflix employees, with some openly criticising their company for streaming the special and defending Chappelle.

In response, Chappelle posted a video of himself in which he listed three conditions under which he’ll meet with trans Netflix employees. One of them was that they had to admit “Hannah Gadsby isn’t funny”.

Gadsby was born in Tasmania and has been widely lauded for her special Nanette, which streams on Netflix.

She is known for her confessional-style routines in which she confronts homophobia and discrimination through her personal experiences. She won an Emmy and a Peabody award for Nanette, and followed it up with Douglas, which is also on Netflix.

Chappelle has been a comedian for three decades and has in the past won five Emmys and the Mark Twain Prize. He has been cited by many comedians as one of their greatest influences but has in recent years attracted criticism for repeated swipes at the trans community.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and has been reproduced here with permission