Jewish comedian Jerry Seinfeld spoke out Wednesday about Chappelle’s Nov. 12 “Saturday Night Live” monologue, which included controversial remarks about Kanye West and anti-Semitism in general.
The 68-year-old comedian praised Chappelle’s comedic delivery but said the subject matter demanded further consideration. “I did think the comedy was well-executed,” Seinfeld told The Hollywood Reporter. “But I think the subject matter calls for a conversation that I don’t think I’d want to have in this venue.”
Jerry Seinfeld: Dave Chappelle’s ‘SNL’ monologue ‘calls for a conversation’ https://t.co/dL6MrVBLJ9 pic.twitter.com/bes2e8zomi
— New York Post (@nypost) November 17, 2022
When the Reporter asked Seinfeld if the routine made him uncomfortable, he responded that it “provokes a conversation which hopefully is productive.”
Seinfeld also told the Reporter it was not his place to have that conversation with Chappelle because “I don’t have a close relationship with him. We’re friends and it’s not a close relationship.”
Chappelle opened SNL with a denunciation of “anti-Semitism in all its forms,” but then seemed to excuse West’s claim that Jews control the entertainment industry, calling the remark “a crazy thing to say out loud” but “not a crazy thing to think.” (RELATED: Kanye West’s Donda Academy Shuts Down Amid Anti-Semitic Comments)
Jerry Seinfeld Says Dave Chappelle’s ‘SNL’ Monologue About Antisemitism ‘Provokes a Conversation’ https://t.co/J2NQvA9OYO
— People (@people) November 17, 2022
“I’ve been to Hollywood and — no one get mad at me, I’m just telling you what I saw — it’s a lot of Jews. Like a lot,” Chappelle said, adding that “black Americans” should not be blamed for the sufferings of the Jewish people.
His monologue has since been criticized for allegedly perpetuating anti-Semitic views, according to the Reporter.
