Dave Chappelle Sets 'SNL' Season-High Ratings, Surges On YouTube
Guest-host Dave Chappelle led "Saturday Night Live" to season-high viewership last weekend.
The episode drew 4.8 million viewers, well above the 4.0 million the season has averaged, and a 0.9 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic.
For the first time this season, online users sought an "SNL" opening. Chappelle's monologue sits at 8.2 million views on the show's official YouTube page.
Here's how his monologue compared to previous hosts this season:
-- Week 1: Miles Teller, 740k
-- Week 2: Brendan Gleason, 475k
-- Week 3: Megan Thee Stallion, 600k
-- Week 4: Jack Harlow, 1.1M
-- Week 5: Amy Schumer, 820k
Wait, Slay Queen Megan Thee Stallion lost to Chappelle by more than 7 million views on YouTube? How?
Unlike the above "entertainers," Chappelle's opening was both original and -- dare I say -- funny:
As expected, Chappelle's commentary drew the ire of the corporate press and the Anti-Defamation League. The evidently bored ADL framed his editorial on rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, as dangerously anti-Semitic.
ADL national director Jonathan Greenblatt accused Chappelle of causing "trauma."
"We shouldn’t expect @DaveChappelle to serve as society’s moral compass, but disturbing to see @nbcsnl not just normalize but popularize #antisemitism Why are Jewish sensitivities denied or diminished at almost every turn? Why does our trauma trigger applause?”
It's called comedy. Chappelle targets subjects of all races, ethnicities, and statuses -- from white men to transgenders to Jewish people. If that causes "trauma," that's on you.
Chappelle is the most talented and influential performer in the nation. He covers hot-button issues through a comedic lens. He practices comedy the way it was intended to be performed.
Dave Chappelle is culturally significant. He inserted "SNL" into the proverbial conversation for what seems to be the first time since 2020, when he last hosted the show.
Elsewhere, comedians are cringing shills for the politically correct. They perform not for fans, but for the increasingly unappeasable joke-police. That includes "SNL" most weeks. Hence why no one watches the program unless Dave Chappelle hosts.