Comedian Dave Chappelle defended his 2016 remarks about giving President Donald Trump a chance during an interview published in Variety on Wednesday, arguing that it was how he felt at the moment.
"A set like that is like a photograph. That’s what it felt like in that moment. Now, if it ages well or not, I don’t get mad if I look at a picture because it’s not today. That’s what it was at that time, and in that sense I'm fine with them… You might look at an old set and cringe, but you could just cringe because of how you were at that time, and you can always remember your sets from the inside out," Chappelle told comedian Mo Amer for Variety's "Actors on Actors" series, when asked how he felt about his "Saturday Night Live" (SNL) monologue.
The comedian hosted the first SNL episode after Trump's 2016 win and said at the time, "I'm going to give him a chance, and we, the historically disenfranchised, demand that he give us one too."
Chappelle hosted SNL after former President Biden's 2020 win and right before Trump was inaugurated again in 2025. His 2020 monologue didn't include any jokes about Biden, but took a few shots at Trump.
Comedian Dave Chappelle defended his 2016 SNL monologue during an interview with Variety. (Left: (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Jazz At Lincoln Center), Right: (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images))
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Chappelle wished Trump "good luck" on SNL in January after his 2024 victory.
"The presidency is no place for petty people. Donald Trump, I know you watch the show. Man, remember, whether people voted for you or not, they’re all counting on you. Whether they like you or not, they’re all counting on you," Chappelle said.
The comedian also urged the president to do better next time.
"I mean it when I say this: Good luck. Please, do better next time. Please, all of us, do better next time. Do not forget your humanity, and please have empathy for displaced people, whether they’re in the Palisades or Palestine. Thank you very much!" he said.
Dave Chappelle during SNL Promos on Tuesday, January 14, 2025. ((Photo by: Rosalind O'Connor/NBC via Getty Images))
Chappelle addressed the 2016 comments about the president in 2017, and said he was "sorry" for suggesting people give him a chance, according to reports.
Reports cited MSNBC host Willie Geist quoting the comedian at an event in New York City at the time.
"I was the first guy on TV to say, ‘Give Trump a chance.’ I f------ up. Sorry," he said, according to Geist.
Chappelle also spoke to "Variety" about performing on SNL and revealed he never does his actual monologue during rehearsals.
Dave Chappelle performs during a midnight pop-up show at Radio City Music Hall on October 16, 2022, in New York City. (Jason Mendez/Getty Images for ABA))
"For me, rehearsal is just ‘How’s the sound?’ It’s so much pressure on live television. But the joy of doing that show for me is the monologue. What a gift for a stand-up to be able to do what he does on live television on such a revered platform like ‘SNL’ is," he said.
"It’s always exhilarating," he added. "It’s a little terrifying, but just a little. You never do as good as you think you’re going to do, but it’s never that bad. The hardest one was maybe the one when Biden got elected, because we didn’t know he was going to be president until Saturday morning. So I had a set for if Trump won, and I had a set for if Biden won."