Jerry Seinfeld Hopes for “Productive” Conversation After Dave Chappelle’s Divisive ‘SNL’ Monologue

Jerry Seinfeld dipped his toe into the Dave Chappelle controversy, but avoided fulling diving into the comedian’s divisive Saturday Night Live monologue. After Chappelle delivered an SNL opener condemned by the Anti-Defamation League for normalizing antisemitism, Seinfeld offered a vague rebuke to The Hollywood Reporter, telling the outlet Chappelle’s monologue “calls for a conversation.”

When asked by THR if he thought Chappelle’s comments on SNL were funny, Seinfeld said, “I did think the comedy was well-executed, but I think the subject matter calls for a conversation that I don’t think I’d want to have in this venue.”

After interviewer commented, “But it made you uncomfortable,” Seinfeld remained neutral and replied, “It provokes a conversation which hopefully is productive.”

The comedian also denied he’s close friends with Chappelle, and dodged a question about possibly talking to Chappelle about the monologue himself. Instead, he told THR, “I don’t have a close relationship with him. We’re friends and it’s not a close relationship.”

Seinfeld’s comments come after Jon Stewart offered his own take on Chappelle’s monologue while appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday (Nov. 15). Stewart, who said he and Chappelle are good friends, defended him from critics, telling Colbert, “I don’t believe that censorship and penalties are the way to end antisemitism or to not gain understanding. I don’t believe in that, and I think it’s the wrong way for us to approach it.”

Chappelle stirred up plenty of conversation following his Nov. 12 appearance on SNL, where he opened the show by talking about Kanye West and Kyrie Irving, both of whom have come under fire for antisemitism in recent weeks.

At one point in his monologue, the comedian told the audience he understands how West could “adopt the delusion that the Jews run show business,” continuing, “not a crazy thing to think – but it’s a crazy thing to say out loud in a climate like this.”

He ended his bit with a dig at cancel culture, saying, “It shouldn’t be this scary to talk about anything. It makes my job incredibly difficult,” and adding, “I hope they don’t take anything away from me. Whoever ‘they’ are.”