‘SNL’ fans decry Dave Chappelle hosting announcement: ‘What the hell Lorne?!’

NBC has tapped Dave Chappelle to host “Saturday Night Live� for a third time next week. And not everyone is happy about it.

Over the weekend, the TV network announced that the Nov. 12 episode of “SNL� would be hosted by Chappelle with musical guest Black Star, the hip-hop duo comprising Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli. While some celebrated the controversial comedian’s imminent return to the show, others condemned “SNL� for giving him a platform in the wake of his transphobic remarks.

Chappelle has come under fire for including transphobic material in his stand-up routines — most notably in his Emmy-nominated 2021 Netflix special, “The Closer.� Amid internal and external protests, Chappelle and Netflix have stood by the special, in which the comic declares himself “team TERF,� which stands for trans-exclusionary radical feminist.

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After trans Netflix employees protested, these stories explain the backlash sparked by Dave Chappelle’s latest comedy special, “The Closer.�

Oct. 20, 2021

“Ugh why is #SNL bringing back Dave Chappelle again?� tweeted @arosoff. “So he can make more transphobic jokes?�

“SNL giving Dave Chappelle a platform is dangerous, and ... none of us — especially our allies, whose voices aren’t as drowned out as ours — should shut up about it,� tweeted @ZoeRoseBryant. “A war is being waged on trans people (and trans KIDS) every single day, and he helps it grow.�

“I mean, I get it, it seems like tradition at this point to have Dave Chappelle host after an election, but haven’t you guys been paying attention to…everything that guy’s been doing lately?� tweeted @Galileo908.

Reps for “SNL� declined to comment. A spokesperson for Chappelle did not immediately respond Sunday to a request for comment.

Several Twitter users pointed out that Chappelle is slated to host “SNL� the same season the sketch comedy series hired its first nonbinary cast member, Molly Kearney. Kearney made their “SNL� debut earlier this year alongside fellow newcomers Marcello Hernández, Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker.

“I love SNL. I’ve been a fan all my life. But having Dave Chappelle on as host is not the move,� tweeted @SeanAltly. “You have your first non-binary cast member ever and then you book [a] proud and open transphobe. What a disappointment.�

“Wonder how SNL’s first nonbinary cast member this season must feel about them platforming Dave Chappelle next week,� tweeted @S0UNDOFMETAL. “Disappointing but not surprising. Feeling for Molly Kearney right now.�

“Having Dave Chappelle host SNL again is a slap in the face to trans people, including one of their own new cast members. What the hell Lorne?!� @Runningactor wrote in a tweet calling out “SNL� executive producer Lorne Michaels.

Several Twitter users extended their disapproval to Kweli, with @grimesfam2 deeming “SNL� “trash� for booking a musician accused of “harassing a Black woman.� In July 2020, Maya A. Moody accused “Talib Kweli and his bots� of a campaign of online harassment after she observed that a public list of Black rappers who married Black women — one that included Kweli — was composed mostly of artists who wed light-skinned women.

In a 2020 interview with the Grio, Kweli denied ever “doxxing a Black woman� or “target[ing] Black women for harassment,� describing his suspension from Twitter as the product of a “targeted harassment campaign� — though he also claimed he was going to “leave Twitter anyway.�

Kweli’s team did not immediately respond Sunday to a request for comment.

After Chappelle’s “The Closer� premiered in October 2021, transgender Netflix employees and their allies staged a walkout in Los Angeles demanding that the streaming platform acknowledge the harm the special and Netflix allegedly caused the trans community.

Terra Field — who previously worked at Netflix as a senior software engineer and served as co-president of the company’s trans employee resource group — was among the trans Netflix staffers who publicly condemned “The Closer.� In response to the “SNL� casting news, she sarcastically tweeted, “Wait I thought I cancelled him. Is it possible cancel culture isn’t a real thing??�

Meanwhile, Chappelle and Kweli’s supporters celebrated the “SNL� lineup announcement on social media.

“Dave Chappelle and Black Star (Yasiin Bey/Mos Def and Talib Kweli) finna be on an American television institution days after Election Day. Must watch,� tweeted @CainMcCoy.

“Dave Chappelle and Black Star? Im actually excited,� tweeted @Chimpz9.

“This is going to be dope! 3 of my favorite celebrities,� tweeted @koracklr.

This week’s episode of “SNL� was hosted by comedian Amy Schumer with musical guest Steve Lacy. Other entertainers who have hosted “SNL� this season include Miles Teller, Brendan Gleeson and Megan Thee Stallion.